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NCDC Confirms 15 Monkeypox Cases In Nigeria

In Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 59 suspected monkeypox cases.

On Tuesday, NCDC Director-General Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu announced that 15 instances of the disease had been confirmed.

Ihekweazu was responding to a Dallas, Texas man who returned from Nigeria recently and tested positive for the disease.

The patient was infected with a form of the virus that is mostly found in West Africa, including Nigeria, according to laboratory findings.

However, Ihekweazu told NAN that an outbreak would be notified if there was a big cluster of monkeypox cases that constituted an emergency, similar to how the agency responded to other epidemic-prone diseases in the country.

“The Federal Government was notified of the situation in Texas, through the International Health Regulations (IHR), who reported a case of monkeypox disease diagnosed in a patient who had recently visited Nigeria.

“Since the re-emergence of monkeypox in the country in September 2017, the agency has continued to receive reports and responses to sporadic cases of the disease from states across the country.

“We have been working closely with state health ministries to strengthen monkeypox disease surveillance and response in the country.

“We work with Enhanced Monkeypox Surveillance Project where we have been training health workers across states to rapidly detect and manage cases.

“Our initial focus is on the states with the highest number of cases – Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Lagos.

“We will continue working with all states to strengthen monkeypox prevention, detection and control in Nigeria,” he explained.

He urged Nigerians to continue adhering to precautions that protect them from monkeypox and other infectious diseases.

“If you feel ill or have a sudden rash, please visit a hospital for diagnosis and management,” he advised.

Monkeypox, which is in the same family of viruses as smallpox, is a rare but potentially deadly viral infection that begins with flu-like symptoms and progresses to a rash on the face and body.

It tends to last two to four weeks. People who do not have symptoms are not capable of transmitting the virus.

Monkeypox infections of that strain are fatal in about one in 100 people, affecting those with weakened immune systems more strongly.

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