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Second person dies from mpox in South Africa
A second person has died from mpox in South Africa, the health minister has announced, less than 24 hours after the country’s first death from the virus was reported.
The two men, aged 37 and 38, were tested and shown to have died as a result of the virus, said minister Joe Phaahla.
Mr Phaahla said that six cases had now been recorded in the country this year – two in Gauteng, and four in KwaZulu-Natal. They were all classed as severe and required hospitalisation.
All diagnosed men were aged between 30 and 39, who had not been to other countries experiencing an outbreak – suggesting that the disease was being transmitted locally.
Mpox, formerly called monkeypox, is a viral infection transmitted through close contact. Initial symptoms include fever, headaches, swellings, back pain, aching muscles, which can develop into a rash.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency over an outbreak of mpox in 2022. Although this was ended last year, low levels of cases are still being reported in some countries. “One death is too many, especially from a preventable and manageable disease,” Mr Phaahla said on Wednesday, urging those with suspected symptoms to seek medical attention and help trace contacts.
Mr Phaahla said the six diagnosed patients had pre-existing immuno-deficiencies, and had contracted the disease since the start of May. He noted that the virus has been reported in over 100 countries since 2022.
Two of those infected have been allowed to go home, while two remain in hospital.
Anyone who came into contact with a fatality will be monitored for 21 days.
The first human case was reported in Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, and the disease remains endemic there, according to the WHO.
[BBC]
Latest News
Heavy rainfall of about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa districts
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 01 APRIL 2025
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 01 April 2025 by the Department of Meteorology
The atmospheric conditions are getting favorable for afternoon thundershowers in the most parts of the island for next few days from today (01).
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-central and Uva provinces and in Galle, Matara and Kurunegala districts during the morning.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the most parts of the island during the afternoon or night. Heavy rainfall of about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa districts.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershower
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nominated a former Navy commander to head the country’s domestic security services, despite the courts having blocked his bid to fire the previous head of Shin Bet.
Netanyahu’s office announced on Monday that he had nominated Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit to lead the agency, which surveils attacks from abroad and at home, including by armed groups based in Palestine and Lebanon. However, a halt to the sacking of Ronen Bar as head of Shin Bet, ordered by the Supreme Court, remains in place.
[Aljazeera]
The Trump administration has deported 17 more alleged gang members to El Salvador, the US state department has said, despite legal battles over removing people to the Central American country’s supermax prison.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the group included members of the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs.
Salvadoran government officials told the BBC they included a mix of Venezuelans and Salvadorans.
Earlier this month a court ordered a halt to deportations carried out under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law previously used only in wartime. However, US media, citing administration sources, reported that the recent deportations were made under general immigration laws.
In a statement, Rubio said the group included “murderers and rapists”, but did not provide names or details of the alleged crimes or of any convictions.
In a post on X, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele shared a dramatically edited video showing shackled men being loaded off a plane and their heads being shaved before they were put into prison cells.
“All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists,” he wrote. “This operation is another step in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.”
President Trump reposted the message, blamed the administration of his predecessor Joe Biden for allowing the deportees into the US and thanked Bukele for “giving them such a wonderful place to live”.
El Salvador has agreed to take in deportees in exchange for $6m (£4.6m).
Family members of some of those who were previously sent to the maximum security prison have denied they have any gang ties.
After Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to remove more than 100 Venezuelans from the US earlier this month, groups including the American Civil Liberties Union filed a legal challenge alleging the administration had illegally denied the immigrants due process.
In a hearing on 15 March, James Boasberg, the top federal judge in Washington DC, imposed a temporary restraining order on the use of the law and ordered deportation flights that were in the air to be turned around.
But the deportations proceeded. The next hearing in the case will be held on Thursday.
[BBC]
Heavy rainfall of about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa districts
Netanyahu nominates new Israeli spy chief despite court order
Underworld leader threatens police over arrest of his father and brother
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