Monkeypox: Nigeria Records 21 Cases, 1 Death

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Sunday, confirmed 21 cases of Monkeypox with one casualty from nine states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The NCDC has also activated Monkeypox Emergency Operations Centre, in a bid to strengthen the country's preparedness and contribute to the global response.

In a statement by its Director-General, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, the agency mentioned the nine states as Adamawa with five cases, Lagos with four cases, Bayelsa and Delta, Cross River, FCT and Kano with two cases each while Imo and Rivers states with one case, respectively.

“This year, as at 29th May 2022, a total of 21 confirmed cases with one death have been reported from 9 states, and the FCT

“The death was reported in a 40-year-old patient who had underlying co-morbidity and was on immunosuppressive medications. Genomic surveillance is ongoing at NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory in Abuja and so far all of the cases have been confirmed to be caused by West Africa clade Monkeypox virus,”the statement read.

“On 26th May 2022, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) activated a national multisectoral Emergency Operations Centre for Monkeypox (MPX-EOC) at level 2 to strengthen and coordinate ongoing response activities in-country while contributing to the global response.

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that does not spread easily between people. It is usually a mild self-limiting illness and most people recover within a few weeks. However, severe illness can occur in some individuals.