By Levy Masiteng
Laboratory-confirmed mpox cases have risen to 22, with Cape Town and the Western Cape accounting for most infections as health authorities step up surveillance and contact tracing.
The Department of Health said the four additional cases brought the Western Cape’s confirmed total to 18, while Gauteng has recorded three cases and KwaZulu-Natal one. All but one of the confirmed patients are male.
The latest update includes a 47-year-old Cape Town man who recently travelled to Spain and had previously been classified as a probable case while health authorities awaited laboratory results.
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“Following confirmation of a positive test, the case has been reclassified as laboratory-confirmed and included in the updated count,” Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said.
The department said the other three cases included two imported infections involving German and Norwegian citizens.
The increase came less than a week after the department warned of a rapid rise in infections.
On 17 September, the department reported 18 laboratory-confirmed cases and one probable case. Of the 19 confirmed and probable infections at the time, 15 were in the Western Cape, three in Gauteng and one in KwaZulu-Natal.
The department said 13 cases had been recorded between 13 August and 17 September, describing the pattern as suggestive of rapid local transmission. Patients ranged from 23 to 50 years old.
“While most cases remain concentrated in the Western Cape, the identification of transmission clusters and cases across multiple provinces highlights the need for sustained public cooperation, early detection, and continued surveillance to prevent further spread,” Mohale said.
He said health authorities were continuing to work with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the World Health Organisation and other partners, with measures including contact tracing and enhanced surveillance.
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Mpox is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can spread through close physical contact, including skin-to-skin contact with lesions, as well as through contact with contaminated clothing, bedding or towels. Transmission can also occur through prolonged close face-to-face contact.
Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue and a rash or skin lesions, which can appear on the face, hands, feet, genital area or other parts of the body.
According to the WHO, symptoms generally begin within a week of exposure but can develop between one and 21 days later.
South Africa first detected mpox in 2022, when five cases associated with Clade IIb were confirmed.
No confirmed cases were reported in 2023. In 2024, the country recorded 25 laboratory-confirmed cases, including three deaths.
A further 15 cases were confirmed in 2025, with infections detected in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and the Western Cape.
The government launched a targeted mpox vaccination programme in July 2025, prioritising higher-risk populations and areas where cases had been detected.
The DoH said it had received about 10,500 doses of the Imvanex mpox vaccine as a donation from Africa CDC through the Access and Allocation Mechanism for Mpox.
“Anyone who has been in close contact with a confirmed case within the past 21 days and develops symptoms should seek medical attention promptly and inform healthcare providers of their exposure history,” Mohale said.
