With no reported deaths, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed a total of 39 Monkeypox cases spread across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
During a press briefing regarding the declaration of Monkeypox as a global public health emergency, the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, provided this information.
Dr. Idris emphasized that heightened surveillance efforts are being undertaken nationwide to promptly identify and respond to any new Monkeypox cases.
Furthermore, NCDC, along with port health services at all international airports, seaports, and land borders, are maintaining a state of high alert.
Several states, including Lagos, Enugu, Kano, Rivers, Cross-River, Akwa-Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have also been placed on high alert status.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the upsurge of Monkeypox cases in Africa a global public health emergency, expressing concerns over the escalating cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and its spread to neighboring countries.
Following a meeting of experts convened by WHO to analyze the outbreak, the organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated, “The situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. This is a matter of global significance.”
WHO is dedicated to coordinating the international response and collaborating closely with affected countries to prevent further transmission, provide treatment to the infected individuals, and save lives, Tedros added during a press briefing.
This decision was made subsequent to the African Union’s health watchdog announcing its public health emergency declaration due to the escalating outbreak.
Monkeypox, originally identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has now spread to various countries after affecting a significant number of individuals in the country.
Tedros emphasized that the reported 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in DR Congo this year have already surpassed the total from the previous year.