South Africa Detects First Monkeypox Case

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The first monkeypox case has been detected in South Africa in the Gauteng Province, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Thursday.

"The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, confirms that a case of monkeypox has been identified through laboratory testing at the NICD on Wednesday, 22 June 2022," the institute said in a statement.

The infection has been found in a 30-year-old male resident with no recent travel history, the institute said, adding that it was tracing any possible linked cases.

The UK Health Security Agency was the first health authority outside Africa to report a case of monkeypox on May 7, in a patient who had recently traveled to Nigeria. Since then, monkeypox outbreaks have been confirmed in many non-endemic countries, including in Europe, North America, and Australia. The World Health Organization has recorded a total of 2,103 laboratory-confirmed cases around the world, including one monkeypox-related death on May 15.

Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is usually transmitted to people from wild animals and is endemic in some African countries. The disease can be transferred through body fluids, respiratory droplets and other contaminated materials. The disease usually results in fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.