The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control,NCDC,has reported 21 confirmed cases of Monkeypox from nine state of the federation including the FCT. The Monkeypox is said to be caused by West Africa clade Monkeypox virus, according to NCDC, the virus has killed a 40-year-old patient who had underlying co-morbidity and was on immunosuppressive medications.
The NCDC,in a statement late Sunday night by its Director General,Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, mentioned the nine states as Adamawa with five cases, Lagos with four cases, Bayelsa and Delta, Cross River, FCT and Kano with two cases each while Imo and Rivers states with one case, respectively.
Symptoms of monkeypox rolled out by the NCDC includes; 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.
Dr Adetifa, noted that “Healthcare workers are to maintain a high index of suspicion for Monkeypox and report any suspected case to the relevant state Epidemiology Team for prompt public health intervention including sampling for confirmatory testing.”
