South Africa has received its first antiviral drugs, Tecovirimat, to treat severe mpox cases as infections nearly double. The Department of Health announced six new laboratory-confirmed cases, totalling 13. Most cases are in KwaZulu-Natal. Mpox, related to smallpox, primarily affects men who have sex with men but can infect anyone. Symptoms include flu-like illness and a rash. Treatment for mild cases remains supportive.
Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.
Join us for BizNews’ first investment-focused conference on Thursday, 12 September, in Hermanus, featuring top experts like Frans Cronje, Piet Viljoen, and more. Get insights on electricity and exploiting SA’s gas bounty from new and familiar faces. Register here.
By Monique Vanek
South Africa received its first batch of antiviral drugs to treat mpox as the number of cases almost doubled.
Tecovirimat will be used to treat patients who have severe health complications while those mild cases will continue to be managed with supportive treatment, the Department of Health said in a statement on Thursday.
The country has detected six more laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox bringing the total number to 13, the department said. The eastern KwaZulu-Natal province has seven cases, the commercial hub of Gauteng five and the Western Cape one, it said.
A cousin of the smallpox virus, mpox has for years been mostly confined to developing countries, though it spread across Europe and the US in 2022.
A large proportion of cases globally have been among men who’ve had sex with other men, and many have occurred within sexual networks, though anyone can contract the disease. There is particular risk for those who also have untreated HIV infections.
The pathogen typically causes flu-like symptoms, followed by a rash that frequently starts on the face and spreads down the body. The illness often lasts for two weeks to a month.
Read also:
- How legalising drugs can lead to dismantling gangs: Woode-Smith
- Pfizer bleeds unsuspecting public, laughs all the way to the bank with over $100bn revenue in 2022
- SA health regulator gives Ivermectin the red light … again! – Professor Aldous and Dr Mdladla interrogate
© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Cyril Ramaphosa: The Audio Biography
Listen to the story of Cyril Ramaphosa’s rise to presidential power, narrated by our very own Alec Hogg.
Get the Audiobook
Narration by Alec Hogg
