The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has made a U-turn following issuing a statement of confirmation of the first monkeypox case at Iketleng Primary School in Hammanskraal.
The department on Thursday had reported that a Grade 1 girl learner had been diagnosed with mpox after displaying symptoms and, according to reports, her parents reported to the school on July 16.
However, later in the day, the department retracted the statement on confirmation of the first monkeypox case at a Gauteng school.
“It has come to our attention that the results concerning the suspected monkeypox case must first be verified by the NICD and the Department of Health. We acknowledge that the announcement of any confirmed cases should be made by the NICD and the Health Department following thorough testing and verification,” said GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona.
“Our initial statement was based on official correspondence received from the school. However, it appears that we may have acted prematurely in confirming the case without awaiting the final verification from the NICD. We apologise for any confusion or concern this may have caused.”
Mabona said the department was committed to ensuring accurate and verified information was communicated to the public.
“We are now awaiting the official verification from the NICD and will defer to the Department of Health for any further announcements on this matter.
“We appreciate the understanding and patience of our school communities as we work through this situation. The health and safety of our learners and staff remain our highest priority, and we will continue to collaborate closely with health authorities to provide accurate information and appropriate guidance,” said Mabona.
Director of the African Health Research institute, Professor Thumbi Ndung’u, speaking on "Newzroom Afrika“ this week, said he thinks the challenge is that there may be cases that are spreading without being necessarily symptomatic.
“Most of the people that have come down with mpox symptoms are people who had some kind of immune deficiency, for example, uncontrolled HIV infection or a case of diabetes or people who have weakened immune systems,” said Ndung’u.
There is some suspicion, although it hasn’t been proven yet, that there may be cases of mpox that are spreading in the general public, but perhaps not showing symptoms because of having very good immune systems, he said. “The situation is a bit unclear at the moment, but that could be what is going on at the moment.”
Ndung’u said that typical symptoms of the disease are a rash and swollen lymph nodes.
“But there may be typical symptoms such as a fever, sore throat, also very commonly associated with mpox and fatigue, general fatigue.
The Star