NCDC: 6 Monkeypox Cases Recorded, 1 Death In May
According to the latest Monkeypox report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Nigeria has recorded 6 cases and 1 death in May. The NCDC stated that Nigeria’s risk of exposure to Monkeypox was quite high when based on the recent risk assessment that it had conducted.
In the NCDC’s latest Monkeypox epidemiological summary, that was published on Sunday, it noted that ever since January 2022, Nigeria has continued to report sporadic cases of the disease.
The World Health Organization says that the disease had originated from West and Central African countries. However, it has also been reported in other countries of the world, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy.
According to the 2022 report, as of the 29th of May, a confirmed total of 21 cases with 1 death have been reported from nine states and the FCT: Adamawa (5), Lagos (4), Bayelsa (2), Delta (2),Cross River (2), FCT (2), Kano (2), Imo (1), and Rivers (1). It also stated that the 1 death was reported in a 40-year-old patient who already had an underlying co-morbidity and was on immunosuppressive medications.
Read Also: More Monkeypox Cases Expected Globally – WHO
Read Also:
The NCDC states that, so far, among the 21 cases reported in 2022, there is no evidence of any new or unusual transmission of the virus, nor where there any changes in its clinical manifestation documented (including symptoms, profile and virulence). It also said that a National Technical Working Group (TWG) had been set up and saddled with the task of monitoring infections and strengthening preparedness and response capacity.
According to the NCDC, genomic surveillance was ongoing at NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory in Abuja and so far all of the cases have been confirmed to be caused by the West African clade Monkeypox virus, “The TWG coordinated the development of national Monkeypox guidelines, capacity building of healthcare workers and surveillance officers on case detection, sample collection, laboratory testing for confirmation and sequencing of the virus at NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory”.
It also intensified the public awareness through risk communication. The NCDC said that the Emergency Operations Centre for Monkeypox would still continue to monitor the evolving situation to inform public health action accordingly.
“Symptoms of monkeypox include sudden fever, headache, body pain, weakness, sore throat, enlargement of glands (lymph nodes) in the neck and under the jaw, followed by the appearance of a rash (often solid or fluid-filled at the onset) on the face, palms, soles of the feet, genitals and other parts of the body.”
Public health safety measures, according to the NCDC, should be adhered to by members of the public to avoid monkeypox. In addition, the center advised the public to go to the nearest health facility if they noticed the known symptoms of the disease. The report advised healthcare workers to keep an eye out for monkeypox and report any suspected cases to state epidemiology teams for prompt public health intervention, including sampling for confirmation.
SOURCE: NAN
