SA’s Mpox disease under control, Cabinet

Cabinet has moved to reassure South Africans that the Mpox outbreak is under control. The disease has now been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Addressing the media during a post-Cabinet media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni reported that to date, the total number of positive cases recorded in South Africa stands at 24. The cases include three deaths, 19 recoveries and two active cases undergoing home isolation. 'Of these, 12 cases were reported in Gauteng, 11 in KwaZulu-Natal and one in the Western Cape,' Ntshavheni said. Cabinet has called on members of the public to play their part by supporting the government's efforts to prevent the spread of Mpox by remaining vigilant and exercising non-pharmaceutical interventions such as heightened personal h ygiene to prevent further transmission. 'Cabinet supports the call by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his capacity as the African Union (AU) Champion on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response for all partners to collaborate closely with the Africa CDC to ensure that there is appropriate support from the international community, guaranteeing equitable access to medical countermeasures, including diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines,' the Minister said. READ | Mpox is under control: Department of Health Tackling foot-and-mouth disease Cabinet has also noted major progress made in tackling foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the Kouga and Kou-Kamma Local Municipalities in the Eastern Cape, with the last clinical case reported in mid-July. Ntshavheni said animal movements in and out of the affected regions continues to be monitored to prevent the spread of the disease to unaffected areas, in terms of the Disease Management Area, and the transportation of livestock from one place to another [which] requir es a transport permit from a local state veterinary office, to prevent the spread of the disease. READ | Progress made in management of foot and mouth disease 'The 30 cattle farms that have tested positive for the disease have been placed under quarantine, and vaccination efforts continue to control the spread of infection and reduce the severity of clinical symptoms. 'Additionally, pre-emptive vaccination has been carried out on a further 37 farms identified as high risk due to their proximity to infected areas. In total, over 92 000 cattle and nearly 600 sheep across 67 farms have been vaccinated,' Ntshavheni said. Source: South African Government News Agency