Another deadly disease confirmed in Nigeria -NCDC

The Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) in Texas, United States, has reported a case of monkeypox in a resident who recently returned from Nigeria.

However, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has revealed that there are 59 suspected cases of monkeypox in Nigeria, with 15 confirmed cases.

Ihekweazu said an outbreak would be announced if there was a large cluster of monkeypox cases that constituted an emergency, in response to a report of a United States resident testing positive for the disease after arriving in the North American country from Nigeria.

Ihekweazu further revealed that the NCDC has been collaborating with state health ministries to improve monkeypox disease surveillance and response in the country, adding that Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Lagos have the largest number of cases.

Monkeypox is caused by a virus closely related to that which causes smallpox and cowpox, although not as deadly as smallpox.

It is spread via large respiratory droplets from someone showing symptoms of the disease, and can also be transmitted by direct contact with bodily fluids or lesion material. People who are asymptomatic cannot spread the virus.

The NCDC DG urged Nigerians who feel ill or have a sudden rash, to visit a hospital for diagnosis and management.