South Africa’s Health Minister announced that South Africa had its second death from MPOX, less than 24 hours after the country’s first death from MPOX.
Minister Joe Phaahla said the two men, aged 37 and 38, were tested and the results showed they had died from the virus.
Mr Pahala said the country had recorded six cases this year, two in Gauteng and four in KwaZulu-Natal.
They are all listed as serious and requiring hospitalization.
All of the confirmed men were between 30 and 39 years old and had never traveled to other countries with outbreaks, suggesting the disease is spreading locally.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral infection spread through close contact.
Initial symptoms include fever, headache, swelling, back pain, and muscle aches, which may develop into a rash.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced public health emergency The 2022 MPOX outbreak ended last year, but some countries are still reporting low case numbers.
“The number of deaths is too many, especially from preventable and controllable diseases,” Fajalla said on Wednesday, urging those with suspected symptoms to seek medical attention and help with contact tracing.
Mr Phaahla said the six confirmed patients had pre-existing immune deficiencies and had contracted the disease since early May.
He noted that more than 100 countries have reported the virus since 2022.
Two of the infected people have been allowed to go home, while two others remain in hospital.
Anyone who came into contact with the deceased will be monitored for 21 days.
The first human case was reported in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the disease remains endemic, according to the World Health Organization.
