South Africa’s mpox outbreak: Death toll rises to three, cases surge to 16

South Africa has recorded another death toll from the mpox viral infection following an outbreak that started in May.

The health ministry, in an update, said the fresh case raised the fatalities to three with 16 laboratory-confirmed cases so far.

It added in a statement that the third person who died was a 40-year-old man from KwaZulu-Natal province who was presented with mpox-like symptoms including a rash all over his body.

South Africa recorded five mpox cases in 2022 and none in 2023, according to the country’s health minister, Joe Phaahla.

The new bout has yielded 16 confirmed cases from early May to June, but the actual number of infections is likely much higher.

Reports say all of South Africa’s recent cases were immunocompromised, mainly due to untreated HIV.

The country has nearly 8 million people living with HIV. A quarter of them are not on treatment, and men are more likely not to have started treatment than women, the report added.

Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus and spreads predominantly by skin-to-skin contact.

It was mostly found in East, Central, and West Africa until a global outbreak starting in 2022 generated nearly 98,000 confirmed cases and almost 200 deaths across 117 countries.