Monkeypox Outbreak in Nigeria

 

monkeypox virus outbreak

In five years, Nigeria has recorded 558 cases of monkeypox, with eight deaths.

However, Colin Brown, UKHSA's director of clinical and emerging infections, stated that monkeypox is an uncommon viral virus that does not spread quickly.

The Nigerian government has released information on disease cases and fatalities registered in the country over the last five years, just 72 hours after health authorities in the United Kingdom declared that a traveller from Nigeria had tested positive for Monkeypox infection.

Between 2017 and 2022, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 558 cases and eight deaths in 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) verified a Monkeypox infection in an unidentified person who caught the disease in Nigeria before travelling in the UK over the weekend.

The patient is being treated at an infectious disease unit, according to the UKHSA, who did not reveal the patient's identity in a publication on the official UK government website.

monkeypox virus outbreak in Nigeria

Since September 2017, Nigeria has continued to record sporadic occurrences of monkeypox, according to the NCDC's latest epidemiological brief on the disease, which was published on Monday.

A National Technical Working Group (TWG) was formed and charged with monitoring infections and developing preparedness and response capabilities, according to the report.

From September 2017 to April 30, 2022, the disease control center reported eight deaths with a Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) of 3.3 percent in six states: Edo (2), Lagos (2), Imo (1), Cross River (1), FCT (1), and Rivers (1).

Between January 1 and February 28, 2022, a total of 13 suspected cases were registered, according to the center. Four of the suspected cases were confirmed positive, according to the NCDC, with one case each in three states and the FCT.

It also stated that six additional suspected cases were reported in three states in February, with three in Bayelsa, two in Imo, and one in Lagos.

Only the suspected case in Lagos was discovered to be positive when test results were disclosed, according to the NCDC.

From September 2017 to February 2022, a total of 525 suspected cases were reported from 32 states across the country, according to the illness agency.

NCDC announced that 230 cases, or 43.8 percent, had been confirmed in 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Rivers State led the list with 52 cases, followed by Bayelsa and Lagos States, which each had 43 and 31 cases.

Delta (29), Cross River (14), Edo (10) Imo (9) Akwa Ibom (7), Oyo (6), Enugu (4), Abia (3), Plateau (3), Nasarawa (2), Benue (2), Anambra (2), Ekiti (2), Ebonyi (1), Niger (1), Ogun (1) and Adamawa (1) are the other states with instances (1).

From September 2017 to February 28th, 2022, a total of eight(8) deaths (CFR=3.5%) were recorded in six states: Edo (2), Lagos (2), Imo (1), Cross River (1), FCT (1), and Rivers (1).

More information on the infection

Meanwhile, Colin Brown, UKHSA's director of clinical and emerging infections, stated that monkeypox is an uncommon viral virus that does not spread easily. "It's normally a minor, self-limiting sickness, and most patients recover in a matter of weeks." However, severe sickness can strike some people."

"The infection can be transmitted by close contact with an infected person," he said, "but there is a very low chance of transmission to the general public."

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