The current Mpox outbreak in Nigeria has spread to 30 local government areas in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with 40 confirmed cases so far.
A report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) also showed that there are so far a total of 802 suspected cases in 33 states of the Federation, reports Daily Trust.
This situation report was released a few days before the United States government donated 10,000 doses of Mpox vaccines to Nigeria.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) had declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International and Continental Concern (PHEIC/PHECC) following an outbreak of the disease across the continent.
Data from the latest Mpox situation room at the NCDC showed that the 40 cases in Nigeria were confirmed as at 19th of this month, which is the beginning of the 34th week of the year 2024.
No death from the disease has so far been recorded in the country this year.
The states with the confirmed cases are Bayelsa (5) Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Cross River (4 cases each), Benue (3), Federal Capital Territory ( FCT), Delta, Anambra, Rivers, Plateau (2 each); Nasarawa, Lagos, Zamfara, Kebbi, Oyo, Abia, Imo, Ebonyi (1 each) and Osun (2).
So far, 2,863 confirmed cases and 517 deaths across 13 African countries have been reported in this year alone.
What to know about Mpox
Mpox is said to be a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease (i.e., disease of animals transmitted from animals to humans) that is endemic in several African countries, including the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa. The exact reservoir of the virus is still unknown although rodents, squirrels and monkeys are suspected to play a part in transmission.
The Mpox virus, according to experts, can spread both from animal to human and from human to human. Animal-to-human transmission may occur by direct contact with the blood, body fluids, skin or mucosal lesions of infected animals (e.g., monkeys, squirrels, and rodents). This, experts said, can happen through a bite, scratch, handling of, or eating inadequately cooked or other products of infected bushmeat. Human-to-human (person-to-person) transmission occurs when a person comes into contact with the virus from an infected human, or materials contaminated with the virus such as clothing, beddings.
Symptoms of the disease, according to experts, include fever, headache, body aches, weakness, swollen lymph nodes (glands) and a rash. After about 1 to 3 days of fever, the rash erupts, beginning on the face and then spreading to the body with the face and palms/soles being mostly affected. They can also occur in and around the genitals which is why contact during sex is another mode of transmission, according to the NCDC.
The NCDC has urged members of the public to adhere to proven infection prevention and control measures, including:
-Avoiding contact with animals that could harbour the virus including sick or dead animals in areas where Mpox has been confirmed.
-Avoiding contact with any material that has been in contact with a sick animal.
-Avoiding unnecessary physical contact with persons infected with Mpox.
-Isolating potentially infected animals from other animals.
-Practicing frequent handwashing with soap and water especially after caring for or visiting sick people.
-Ensuring all animal food products are properly cooked before eating.
-Using appropriate protective clothing and gloves while handling sick animals or their infected tissues and during slaughtering procedures.
–Daily Trust
