The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 67 confirmed cases of Mpox from a total of 1,031 suspected cases across 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to The PUNCH, this update was shared during a briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
The confirmed cases are distributed as follows: Akwa-Ibom and Enugu each reported eight cases; Bayelsa has six; Cross River, Benue, Plateau, and Delta have four each; the FCT has three; Imo, Lagos, and Rivers each have two; while Abia, Osun, Anambra, and Ogun also have two cases each.
The remaining states with reported cases include Kaduna, Gombe, Edo, Niger, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Kebbi, and Oyo, each with one case.
The Director General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, highlighted the agency’s efforts to enhance surveillance across states to ensure precise detection of Mpox.
He explained, “We are working with the port health authority to prevent the importation of Clade I of Mpox into the country. The port health authority is also collaborating with border states to prevent the entry of this clade.”
Idris also addressed the challenge of laboratory capabilities, stating, “We have laboratories across the country but not all of them have the same capabilities to test Mpox. So, we are optimizing our laboratories to detect so that we don’t have to carry samples across states. We are also involved in awareness creation.”
Mpox is a rare viral zoonotic disease endemic to parts of Africa, particularly in the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa.
It can be transmitted from animals to humans through direct contact with infected animals, such as monkeys, squirrels, and rodents, or their bodily fluids. Human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through direct contact with an infected person or contaminated materials.
Symptoms of Mpox include fever, headache, body aches, weakness, swollen lymph nodes, and a distinctive rash that initially appears on the face and may spread to other parts of the body.
The rash can also involve the palms, soles, and genital areas, making sexual contact a potential route of transmission.
