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Volume 29, Number 6—June 2023
Dispatch

Tanapox, South Africa, 2022

Monica Birkhead1Comments to Author , Wayne Grayson1, Antoinette Grobbelaar, Veerle Msimang, Naazneen Moolla, Angela Mathee, Lucille Blumberg, Terry Marshall, Daniel Morobadi, Mirjana Popara, and Jacqueline Weyer
Author affiliations: National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa (M. Birkhead, A. Grobbelaar, V. Msimang, N. Moolla, L. Blumberg, J. Weyer); Ampath Laboratories, Centurion, South Africa (W. Grayson, T. Marshall, D. Morobadi); University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (W. Grayson, J. Weyer); South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa (A. Mathee); University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg (A. Mathee); University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa (N. Moolla, L. Blumberg, J. Weyer); Right to Care, Johannesburg (L. Blumberg); University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa (D. Morobadi); Mediclinic, Sandton, South Africa (M. Popara)

Main Article

Table

History of recorded tanapox cases in humans and nonhuman primates, 1957–2004

Year Location of exposure Epidemiologic description Reference
1957
 Ngau, Kenya (Tana River Valley)
 Several Wapakomo school children diagnosed with tanapox
 (1)
1962
 Between Garissa and Garsen, Kenya (Tana River Valley)
 About 50 case-patients from the Wapakomo tribe
 (1)
1965–1966*
 Holding facilities of primate supplier, USA
 Infected macaques from the same supplier, distributed to 3 primate research centers in Oregon, California, and Texas, USA
 (2–4)
1966–1968†
 Laboratory-acquired
 Several laboratory workers in Oregon and California became infected after handling of laboratory macaques
 (2–4)
1971†
 Laboratory-acquired
 Human volunteer was inoculated with tanapox virus, and clinical progression of the disease was monitored and recorded
 (1)
1979–1983
 Mongala, Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire)
 A total of 357 cases reported, of which 264 were confirmed by laboratory testing
 (3)
1999
 Bagamoyo, Tanzania
 Traveler from Germany diagnosed with tanapox upon return from Tanzania
 (5)
2002†
 Sierra Leone
 Person from Sierra Leone admitted to hospital in New York, USA, 2 weeks after arrival from Sierra Leone
 (6)
2004 Republic of Congo Volunteer working with chimpanzees has onset of tanapox; only diagnosed after return to USA (7)

*Initially identified as Yaba-like disease virus; subsequent research indicated homology with Tanapoxvirus.†Date of report (date of actual case not published).

Main Article

References
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1These first authors contributed equally to this article.

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Page updated: May 17, 2023
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