Gauteng activates Mpox response teams after three confirmed cases - TimesLIVE
The Gauteng health department says outbreak response teams are operational across all five of the province’s health districts following the confirmation of three Mpox cases.
The department said on Tuesday it was strengthening preparedness and surveillance measures to ensure suspected and confirmed cases were detected early and appropriately managed.
“The Gauteng department of health (GDoH) assures the public about the province’s readiness to respond to Mpox and comprehensive measures in place to manage any eventuality related to the disease,” department spokesperson Steve Mabona said.
This follows three laboratory-confirmed cases in Gauteng reported by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) on September 18.
“The department continues to monitor the Mpox situation and is strengthening preparedness measures across the province to ensure that any suspected or confirmed cases are detected early, investigated and appropriately managed,” Mabona said.
The cases come as SA records an increase in Mpox infections. According to the national health department, as of September 17, the country had recorded 18 laboratory-confirmed cases and one probable case.
Of these, 15 confirmed cases were reported in the Western Cape and three in Gauteng, while the probable case was reported in KwaZulu-Natal.
Mabona said functional Outbreak Response Teams were in place across Gauteng’s five health districts and were supported by provincial officials responsible for communicable disease control, immunisation, environmental health, infection prevention and control, health promotion and communication.
“Mpox cases are monitored daily through the Notifiable Medical Conditions surveillance system to support the early identification, notification, investigation and follow-up of suspected and confirmed cases,” he said.
Wastewater surveillance is also being used as a complementary early-warning mechanism.
He said the department has contingency plans covering surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication, co-ordination and resource mobilisation.
“A provincial risk calendar is also used to identify periods or circumstances of increased transmission risk and to guide facility readiness, surveillance strengthening and proactive response measures,” Mabona said.
“The province continuously monitors national and global Mpox trends, including changes in transmission patterns and emerging variants.”
The department said this would allow it to strengthen its public health response if the epidemiological situation changed.
Gauteng currently has 586 Mpox vaccine doses in stock.
However, the vaccines are not routinely kept at individual clinics because of their specialised storage requirements.
“The vaccines are not routinely stored at clinics because they require special cold-chain equipment at approximately -40°C. The vaccines are therefore stored in dedicated freezers at regional pharmacies, from where clinics can request them based on identified need,” Mabona said.
He said the provincial department is also engaging the national health department to ensure additional vaccine doses can be accessed if necessary.
Mabona said the province is continuing targeted Mpox prevention and awareness campaigns through clinics, public meetings, multimedia platforms, door-to-door campaigns and community outreach programmes.
“The department is also working with community leaders, traditional health practitioners, faith-based organisations, civil society, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to support the distribution of reliable information,” he said.
Residents have been urged to remain vigilant, familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of Mpox and seek medical attention early if they suspect they may be infected.
The department said it would continue monitoring the situation and strengthen its response where necessary to detect infections early, contain transmission and scale up interventions should the number of cases increase. − TimesLIVE
