BY DAVID ADUGE-ANI, ABUJA
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has confirmed 39 new cases of the dreaded monkey pox in the country
This is as the centre further disclosed that reported cases, which has not however led to ant death is prominent in states like Abia, Bayelsa, Lagos, Taraba, Cross Rivers, Rivers and Lagos
The NCDC therefore charged the public to be vigilant and adhere to preventive measures in the wake of the Mpox (monkeypox) outbreak, even as the country is on high alert for the potential risk of more contagious and deadly clade 1 strain of the Mpox virus.
The Director General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, who disclosed while giving an update on the national response, cautioned that although the Mpox strain currently circulating in Nigeria is the milder clade 2, stressed that the country is not complacent and is taking proactive measures to prevent the spread of the more deadly clade 1 strain.
Idris assured that the country was effectively monitoring the situation, said a strengthened surveillance system had been activated to identify areas with currently higher Mpox prevalence.
From the latest NCDC update, Nigeria recorded a total of 39 confirmed Mpox cases with no deaths across 30 Local Government Areas in 19 States of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, from the beginning of the year.
“So far in the country right now, we have 39 confirmed cases, and luckily for us, no deaths. We’ve intensified our surveillance system that’s tracking the disease, especially those areas where we feel Mpox has been detected.
“States like Rivers, Cross River, Abia, Lagos, Taraba, and Bayelsa, these are key areas where some of the cases have been detected. These areas are being closely monitored as part of the government’s efforts to contain the spread of the disease”, Idris said.”
He confirmed that a technical working group established to assess the risk level of Mpox determined that the risk level was high.
“So, people should be very, very cautious. We have a cholera outbreak that has so far killed more than Mpox, but again, we are lucky that the Mpox strain that we have here is what we call the clade 2, which is very mild, but we are not resting or relaxing because we don’t know when the deadlier clade 1 will come in.
“We are empowering all the laboratories with reagents so that they can quickly do a quick turnaround in diagnosis. So, we are quickly getting this done because clade 1 is more serious, and we don’t want to have that in this country right now. We need to be prepared, and that’s why we’re empowering all the laboratories now, that’s why the border areas are being sensitised so that we can increase our vigilance,” he remarked,
On what the agency is doing in terms of collaboration, he said, “We’ve met with all the Health Commissioners in all the States just to enlighten them again to ensure that they too establish their own emergency preparedness systems, which we have done, and we are sending them materials to guide them on how to make the diagnosis, how to track, and public awareness systems all over.
“They go to different parts of the states and look out to the government again, and enlighten the public on what mpox is all about, how it is contracted, how it is spread, how it presents, and what people should do.
“We’re grateful and happy that there are no fatalities recorded at this moment, that’s the reason why we met with all the Commissioners of Health in all the states; one, to give them materials on how to do this, two, to ensure that they now set up the emergency preparedness in the various LGAs and States.
“They are going to go back again to meet with their DSNOs and their public health practitioners in the LGAs, they’re going to work with the communities, especially concerning public awareness. We’ve told them that once they have any suspected case, they know precisely where to send people to, and where samples can be taken, to specific laboratories for quick prompt diagnosis.”
Further, Idris said, “Unfortunately, we don’t have many laboratories that have those capabilities, and that’s why we’re trying to expand, to increase our numbers. Right now, we have key laboratories at Port Harcourt, Enugu, Lagos, and Osun State, but from any state, once they have samples, they know precisely how to transfer these samples to those laboratories for quick diagnosis.
“But more important is the public awareness and the LGAs with the states and handling. The states have that sole responsibility; they have the responsibility and the structure in place to get this across to the various people. More importantly is the public awareness that is essential, so that people who notice the symptoms should seek quick medical advice.”
Mpox is a rare disease caused by the Mpox virus. It’s similar to smallpox but generally less severe. While the name suggests it comes from monkeys, the exact origin of the virus is unknown. Common symptoms include a rash which may last for two to four weeks. This may start with, or be followed by, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen glands (lymph nodes), The symptoms typically start within one to two weeks after exposure to the virus..
On August 13, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Africa CDC.officially declared the ongoing Mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security, PHECS. On August 14, the World Health Organisation, WHO, declared an international health emergency over the rise in cases of Clade 1b in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, and its spread to nearby countries.