Is there monkeypox in South Africa?

Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with monkeypox virus.

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘monkeypox.’

The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox.

Since then, monkeypox has been reported in people in several other central and western African countries:

1. Cameroon,
2. Central African Republic,
3. Cote d’Ivoire,
4. Democratic Republic of the Congo,
5. Gabon,
6. Liberia,
7. Nigeria,
8. Republic of the Congo, and
9. Sierra Leone.

The majority of infections are in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Monkeypox cases in people have occurred outside of Africa and have been linked to international travel or imported animals, including cases in the United States, as well as Israel, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

South Africa has not recorded a case of monkeypox.