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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]
The Paddy Marketing Board has approximately 115,000 metric tonnes of paddy stocks purchased from farmers, which are currently stored in the Board’s warehouses, and it has been planned to retain a sufficient buffer stock from these reserves and sell the remaining quantity in order to provide the necessary storage space and financial resources for the purchase of paddy from farmers during the upcoming Yala season.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation to sell the aforementioned paddy stocks
following a formal tender procedure.
Latest News
Ms. M.K.D.N. Madampe, appointed as Director General of the Department of Management Services
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, to appoint Ms. M.K.D.N. Madampe, an officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service in the Special Grade who is currently serving as an Additional Director General of the Department of Management Services, to the post of Director General of the Department of Management Services with immediate effect.
Latest News
Cabinet approval for Implementation of a Project for the Joint Exchange of Genetic Resources between Sri Lanka and Vietnam and the Development of High-Yielding and Salinity-resilient Rice Varieties.
With the objective of improving the productivity of paddy cultivation, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the agricultural sector was entered into on 2025-05-05 between the Department of Agriculture of Sri Lanka and the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Under the afore Memorandum of Understanding, both parties have agreed to implement a project titled “Joint Exchange of Genetic Resources and Development of High-Yielding and Salinity-resilient Rice Varieties through Hybridization between Sri Lanka and Vietnam.”
The activities proposed to be carried out under the said project include the exchange of germplasm materials of rice varieties between the two countries, the conduct of joint breeding and hybridization programmes, the evaluation and selection of advanced breeding lines under local conditions, the establishment of field trials, the training of research officers, and the exchange of knowledge.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation for the implementation of the proposed project
Cabinet approves sale of Paddy stocks held by the Paddy Marketing Board
Amendment to the Promotion of Export Agriculture Act, No. 46 of 1992 to be gazatted
Ms. M.K.D.N. Madampe, appointed as Director General of the Department of Management Services
Cabinet approves collaboration agreement between Sri Lanka and Brazil for the implementation of the “Sugarcane Project in Sri Lanka”
Cabinet approval for Implementation of a Project for the Joint Exchange of Genetic Resources between Sri Lanka and Vietnam and the Development of High-Yielding and Salinity-resilient Rice Varieties.
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the Districts of Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura extended till1600 hrs on Wednesday [27]
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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