Thirty-nine cases of Monkeypox disease have been confirmed in several States by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
The World Health Organisation raised the level of the epidermic to an international health emergency Wednesday.
Speaking Thursday in Abuja, NDDC Director General, Dr Jide Idris, said the country had so far recorded a total of 5,951 suspected cases and 176 deaths have been recorded across 36 states, and the FCT as of August 11, 2024.
The outbreak has swept through several African countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo.
There is a serious and growing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has now expanded outside the country.
A new viral strain, which first emerged in September 2023, has for the first time been detected outside DRC.
So far, about 2,863 confirmed mpox cases and 517 deaths across 13 African countries have been reported in 2024 alone.
“In Nigeria, cumulatively, a total of 39 confirmed cases and zero deaths have been recorded across 33 States + FCT, from the beginning of the year 2024. Bayelsa (five), Cross River (five), Ogun (four), Lagos (four), Ondo (three), and Ebonyi (three) lead the pack.
“Noting the significant concern of the ease of cross-border transmission, this press conference is part of the effort to intensify our coordination and communication with stakeholders to manage the spread of the virus and prevent disease importation,” Idris said.
Mpox is a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease (i.e., disease of animals transmitted from animals to humans) that is endemic in several African countries including the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa. The exact reservoir of the virus is still unknown although rodents, squirrels, and monkeys are suspected to play a part in transmission. With Punch reports
