The recent outbreak of Mpox, also known as Monkey Pox has sent panic waves across the globe with a rise in cases in Africa and some European countries.
Statistics by the World Health Organization states that over one hundred thousand laboratory confirmed cases have been recorded between 2022 and 2024 including 208 deaths.
As Mpox cases in Nigeria climb to thirty-nine, ait.live reviews how Nigeria was able to manage the 2017 outbreak and the lessons to tackle the current situation
Initially referred to as Monkey Pox before it was renamed as Mpox by the World Health Organization WHO in 2022
It is having a comeback, and has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO
The African country of the Democratic Republic of Congo is the worst hit, with multiple confirmed cases and fatalities.
Since the 2024 outbreak, data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control NCDC reveals that the number of confirmed cases have risen to 39 across the country as of August, but with zero deaths
Although first reported in Nigeria in 1978, the second wave of Mpox was identified in Bayesla state in September 2017, when an 11-year-old boy was diagnosed of it
This propelled our visit to the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital Okolobiri, where the Bayelsa state isolation centre is located, to ascertain the current status of the Mpox.
The President, Nigeria Infectious Disease Society who doubles as the Chief Medical Director NDUTH, Professor Dimie Ogoina who alongside his team managed the index case of monkey pox during the 2017 outbreak spoke about the infection disease.
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Professor Ogoina is also the Chairman, World Health Organization Emergency Committee on Mpox
The Infectious disease physician advises that Nigeria must strengthen its surveillance system and prioritize research to address the knowledge gap and early detection measures
According to the Bayelsa state ministry of health, the state has so far identified 83 cases, with 5 confirmed, but with no active cases from January 2024 till date.
The state’s commissioner for health, Professor Seiyefa Brisibe says alert systems have been put in place
Mpox is a viral zoonotic infectious disease transmitted from animal to human and also human to human through sexual or close physical contact. There is fear among residents in Bayelsa and many are hoping they do not experience a repeat of the Covid19 situation.
As the rest of the globe races against time to find a lasting solution to halt the spread of Mpox, it presents another sobering reminder for countries like Nigeria to strengthen its weak health system amid the unpredictability of viral infection outbreaks
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
