NCDC reports 60 suspected Monkeypox cases in one week

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported 60 new suspected cases of Monkeypox in one week.

The NCDC made this known in its latest situation report covering August 1 to August 7, 2022.

The agency stated that the cases were recorded in 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

In its epidemiological report released on Monday, the NCDC stated that in the same week, the country recorded 15 confirmed new cases.

The NCDC listed the affected states to include Ebonyi, FCT, Abia, Adamawa, Ondo, Taraba, Imo, and Lagos.

Others are Ogun, Edo, Anambra, Gombe, Kwara, Rivers, Cross River, Oyo, Kano, Nasarawa, and Niger states.

It added that in the breakdown of the 15 additional confirmed cases, Imo topped with three cases, followed by the FCT with two, Ondo with two, and Rivers, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Edo, Ogun, and Nasarawa states with one case each.

The agency stated that from January 1 to August 7, there were 473 suspected cases with 172 confirmed cases (115 males, 57 females) from 27 states.

“Overall, since the re-emergence of Monkeypox in September 2017, a total of 985 suspected cases have been reported from 35 states in the country.

“Of the 985 suspected cases, 398 (40.4 per cent) were confirmed, 263 males, 135 females from 30 states.

“Also, 12 deaths have been recorded since September 2017 in nine states,” the NCDC added.

It stated that there were ongoing efforts to strengthen surveillance at national and sub-national levels to increase awareness and to promptly detect and respond to any outbreak.

Monkeypox is a virus similar to smallpox, but symptoms are less severe. It was discovered in 1958 after outbreaks occurred in monkeys kept for research.

The virus is primarily found in parts of Central and West Africa, but recently spread to dozens of countries and has infected tens of thousands of people, overwhelmingly men who have sex with men.

The Star