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What To Know About Cases Of Monkey Pox In Nigeria

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recently disclosed a rise in cases of Monkeypox shortly after the UK Health Security Agency diagnosed a patient believed to have contracted the infection from Nigeria.

According to the report, the NCDC has confirmed a total of 46 suspected cases and 15 confirmed cases of monkeypox between January 1, 2022, and April 30, 2022.

The NCDC shared that Lagos and Adamawa have the highest confirmed cases, followed by Bayelsa (3), Kano (1), FCT (1), Delta (1), Edo (1), and Ogun (1).

Monkeypox In Nigeria

Monkeypox is an endemic disease in Nigeria that is caused by the Monkeypox virus of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.

According to figures from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, between 1971 and 1978, 10 human Monkeypox infections were reported in Nigeria. 3 were laboratory-confirmed — 2 in 1971 and 1 in 1978.

Between September 2017 and June 2021, Nigeria had 466 suspected Monkeypox cases and 205 confirmed cases. There were 88 confirmed cases in 2017, 49 in 2018, 47 in 2019, 8 in 2020 and 13 in 2021. The NCDC has reported only 8 deaths since September 2017.

What Is Monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that is transmitted through direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions of an infected animal.

The disease in monkeys was first reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) around 1958 before a human case was reported in the same country in 1970.

Human-to-human transmission can result from close contact with infected respiratory tract secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or objects recently contaminated by patient fluids or lesion materials. Eating inadequately cooked meat of infected animals is also a risk factor.

Infected people break out in a rash similar to chickenpox or measles, making it initially hard to detect or diagnose. However, the fever, malaise, and headache from Monkeypox become increasingly severe as the disease progresses.

Should You Be Worried?

Due to its highly viral nature, failure to detect and report it means the disease could spread and may cause death in at least one in 10 of those infected.

Also, there is currently no specific treatment or vaccine available for Monkeypox infection, and neither is there any system in place to manage the spread of Monkeypox. This is why early testing and detection are important steps in curbing the spread of the disease.

Patsy Nwogu

Reporting on data-driven featured stories and investigations.

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