South Africa has reported its second death from the viral infection mpox this week, the health ministry announced on Thursday.
According to Reuters, this confirmation comes less than 24 hours after the first death had been announced.
The second victim was a 38-year-old man from the KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa.
He was hospitalized with severe symptoms, including extensive lesions, headache, fatigue, oral ulcers, muscle pain, and a sore throat. He tested positive for mpox on Wednesday.
"The patient unfortunately passed away in KwaZulu-Natal the same day his test results came back positive," stated Foster Mohale, spokesperson for the national health department.
As of now, South Africa has recorded six laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox, with two resulting in death since the first case emerged five weeks ago.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, spreads through close physical contact.
While most cases are mild, the infection can be fatal.
