Nigeria records fresh 41 cases of Monkeypox in 7 days

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has reported additional 41 new cases of Monkeypox disease between August 29 and September 4, from 12 states of the federation.

The NCDC via its official website on Sunday said that the 12 states were: Lagos (14), Abia (7), Imo (6), Ogun (5), Ondo (2), Akwa Ibom (1), Borno (1), Delta (1), Osun (1), Oyo (1), Plateau (1) and Rivers (1).

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It stated that there have been 815 suspected cases, 318 confirmed cases and seven deaths from Monkeypox so far in the country in 2022.

The public health agency said that the seven deaths were recorded in seven states: Delta (1), Lagos (1), Ondo (1), Akwa Ibom (1), Kogi (1), Taraba (1) and Imo (1), with Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) of 2.2 per cent.

According to the NCDC, from 2017 to date, only four states in the country accounted for 270 out of 544 cases of Monkeypox in the country – Lagos (93), Rivers (71), Bayelsa (62) and Delta (44).

It said that this translates to approximately 50 per cent (49.6 per cent) of the total number of confirmed cases.

Monkeypox is an infection caused by a virus similar to the now-eradicated smallpox virus.

It has been most common in some African countries, but outbreaks have occurred in other areas from time to time.

In 2022, the World Health Organisation (WHO), declared a global health emergency since monkeypox had spread to many countries through social interactions and intimate contacts.

While monkeypox cases spreading globally in 2022 can cause severe disease, the infection most often clears up on its own.

Monkeypox may be most severe in young children, especially if they have poor nutritional status.

In previous years fatal cases had occurred, primarily among children in Africa.

Vaccines can prevent monkeypox but they are currently in short supply and are used to prevent monkeypox disease in people, who have been exposed to the virus. (NAN)