The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed a total of 39 cases of Mpox across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with no deaths reported.
Dr. Jide Idris, the Director General of the NCDC, disclosed this during a press briefing on Thursday, where he emphasized that the agency is stepping up surveillance efforts nationwide. “The NCDC is intensifying surveillance across Nigeria to swiftly detect and respond to any new cases,” Idris stated.
In his briefing, Idris also mentioned that all port health services across the country’s five international airports, ten seaports, and 51 land/foot crossing borders are on high alert. Additionally, he noted that certain states, including Lagos, Enugu, Kano, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have been put on heightened alert.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the Mpox outbreak in Africa a global public health emergency due to the increasing number of cases, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, after meeting with experts, stated, “The emergency committee met and advised me that in its view, the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice.”
He further added, “This is something that should concern us all. WHO is committed in the days and weeks ahead to coordinate the global response, working closely with each of the affected countries, and leveraging our on-the-ground presence, to prevent transmission, treat those infected, and save lives.”
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been spreading across the DRC and to neighboring countries, with over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths reported in the DRC alone this year.
