Mpox outbreak 'no need for panic' - Health Dept
The Health Department says there is no need for panic over the current outbreak of mpox, as the virus remains under control.
The World Health Organisation declared mpox a global public health emergency last week.
South Africa has recorded 24 cases, with three people succumbing to the infectious disease so far.
Two people are currently isolating at home.
The department's spokesperson Foster Mohale says people can also do their part by maintaining good personal hygiene.
"That does not mean that people should become complacent. We've learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic that viruses are unpredictable as they mutate from time to time. The declarations by Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation do not translate into trade and travel restrictions."
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The African Union health agency said over the weekend that more than 18,737 suspected or confirmed cases of mpox have been reported in Africa since the beginning of the year.
"We encourage the businesses and organisations with operations in other affected countries to ensure that employees who regularly travel to and from South Africa are free to travel," added Mohale.
The WHO has meanwhile urged manufacturers to ramp up production of vaccines to rein in the spread of a more dangerous strain of the virus.
