Monkeypox: Cross River govt sensitise  communities

The Cross River Government has commenced the sensitisation of residents in border communities of the state on the symptoms and prevention of monkey pox disease.

Dr Janet Ekpeyong, Director-General of Cross River Primary Healthcare Agency, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Calabar. Ekpenyong said that the advocacy was to ensure that all suspected cases were identified and reported for prompt action. She said the agency had also deployed health officers to the border areas to ensure a seamless awareness and detection process

“As of today, there is no active case of monkey pox in Cross River. We have tried every avenue to ensure that the state managed every symptom of monkey pox,” she said.

Ekpenyong noted that the agency had intensified surveillance by actively searching for people who visited health facilities with similar symptoms and those reported by their relatives. She added that the agency was working with relevant partners such as the WHO and UNICEF.

The health director told NAN that the partners have always supported them in surveillance activities and periodic training of health workers on how to identify and differentiate phenomenal symptoms of the prevalent diseases. “We won’t relent on our efforts to prevent the spread of the disease since we are aware of how transmittable it can be with a lot of people coming into Cross River from states where there are active cases,” she said.

Ekpenyong urged residents in the state to maintain good personal and environmental hygiene in order to assist the government in fighting the disease.

“I want to also encourage all residents in the state to report any suspected case to the health facility closest to them for rapid response, investigation and possible management,” she said