Nigeria is grappling with a suspected outbreak of monkeypox, a smallpox-like virus that leaves victims with a painful rash and can be fatal if not properly treated.
Health authorities in the West African country say at least 11 cases of the disease have been identified after an 11-year-old boy in the southern state of Bayelsa presented symptoms in September. A further 32 close contacts are being monitored in case they have caught the virus, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said on Thursday.
The state commissioner for health says samples of the virus, thought to be monkey-pox, have been sent to the World Health Organisation laboratory in Senegal, for confirmation.
NOTE: Monkey-pox is a virus transmitted to humans from animals, with symptoms similar to those seen in smallpox patients. It was first seen in monkeys, but can also be found in the secretions of all bush animals.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenogoa that the state government was on top of the situation. Etebu said that the government had contained the outbreak and commenced public sensitisation to curtail spread of the virus.
Health authorities in the West African country say at least 11 cases of the disease have been identified after an 11-year-old boy in the southern state of Bayelsa presented symptoms in September. A further 32 close contacts are being monitored in case they have caught the virus, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said on Thursday.
The state commissioner for health says samples of the virus, thought to be monkey-pox, have been sent to the World Health Organisation laboratory in Senegal, for confirmation.
NOTE: Monkey-pox is a virus transmitted to humans from animals, with symptoms similar to those seen in smallpox patients. It was first seen in monkeys, but can also be found in the secretions of all bush animals.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenogoa that the state government was on top of the situation. Etebu said that the government had contained the outbreak and commenced public sensitisation to curtail spread of the virus.
He added that the focus of the enlightenment was enhanced personal hygiene and vigilance with wild animals, the primary vectors of the virus. The commissioner said “the situation is under control but we are taking further steps to enlighten the public about personal hygiene and to be careful with any wild animals around them.
“We are harping on increased washing of hands. “We are also working with Veterinary Unit of Ministry of Agriculture to increase surveillance at abattoirs where animals are slaughtered for human consumption.” Etebu disclosed that 11 persons, including a medical doctor, had been quarantined at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH), Okolobiri in Yenagoa Local Government Area. He said samples of the virus had been sent to World Health Organisation reference laboratory in Dakar for confirmation. He explained that “as the name implies, the virus was first seen in monkeys but can also be found in all bush animals such as rats, squirrels and antelopes, and that is why our surveillance on edible animals has to be heightened. “The source is usually animals. It was first seen in monkeys and that is why it is called monkey pox. “Secretions from particularly dead animals are highly contagious, so also the fluids from infected persons.”
The commissioner recalled that the first index case came from Agbura in Yenagoa where somebody was reported to have killed and ate monkey meat and started developing rashes. (NAN)
good to know that no one died as a result of the outbreak, which was traced to a shipment of infected animals from Ghana that was imported to Texas.
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