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In 2023, passive laboratory-based surveillance showed an increase in hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. We investigated hepatitis A incidence using the notifiable medical condition surveillance system (NMCSS) data and molecularly characterised positive blood samples from the Western Cape province for 2023. All HAV IgM seropositive cases from the NMCSS from 1 January to 31 October 2023 in South Africa were investigated. HAV RNA from blood samples that had tested positive for HAV IgM from Western Cape was amplified in the VP1/P2B junction and sequenced (3500Xl Genetic Analyser). Sequences were assembled, aligned (Sequencher) and analysed (Aliview 1.27 and MEGA11). Statistical analysis was performed using Excel and the CuSum2 Threshold to determine suspected outbreaks. In 2023, the incidence of HAV IgM was 6.28/100,000 in South Africa, with the highest incidence in Western Cape province (15.86/100,000). Children aged 5 to 14 years were affected the most in the Western Cape. The positive cases in the Western Cape were above the CuSum2 threshold from January to May 2023, with the highest incidence observed in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan (14.8/100,000). Genotyping was successfully performed on 92.7% (139/150) of serum samples, for which the IB sub-genotype was detected. Three primary mutations R63K, R71S and M104I were observed in more than 49% of the samples. Most of the samples sequenced belonged to patients residing in areas close to each other within the City of Cape Town Southern, Western, and Mitchells Plain sub-districts. The CuSum2 threshold method allowed the identification of suspected HAV outbreaks in the districts within the Western Cape in 2023 while genotyping identified clusters of sub-genotype IB. Genotyping could assist with determining the common source of infection during an outbreak, especially if coupled with epidemiological and geographical data. Further active surveillance can assist in investigating the HAV risk factors for targeted public health responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease. In 2015, leptospirosis was diagnosed in 2 prison inmates in South Africa. Using real-time PCR and DNA sequencing, we identified Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae in rodents and water samples within the prison. Leptospirosis might be frequently underdiagnosed in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]