Nigeria has recorded a total of 21 cases of Monkeypox since the beginning of 2022, one of which died, said the country’s disease control agency.
On Sunday, 29 May, the Nigeria Centre of Disease Control (NCDC) stated that 66 suspected cases of Monkeypox virus were reported in nine out of 36 states of the country and the administrative capital Abuja.
Out of these, 21 cases were confirmed as Monkeypox, out of which a 40-year-old man suffering from kidney disease died.
The NCDC stated, “Among the 21 cases found in 2022 so far, there has been no proof of any new or uncommon transmission of the virus, nor documented changes in its clinical manifestation.”
It said, “Six of the cases of this virus were found in May.”
The NCDC stated that Nigeria’s risk of exposure to the monkeypox virus was rather highly based on a new assessment that it had conducted, but the effect on health was low.
The present situation in the nation and worldwide has shown no major threat to life or the community that can cause serious disease or high case fatality rate.
The agency asked the public to stay aware of the risk and report to a doctor if they had any disease symptoms. However, Monkeypox is related to smallpox but is relatively less severe.
Initial symptoms of the disease include a high fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a chickenpox-like rash. Most of the people heal within a few weeks.
The virus can be transmitted to humans via infected animals or via human to human transmission through close contact with an infected person who has a rash or blisters on their body.
There is no specific treatment, but the vaccination against smallpox is 85% more effective against Monkeypox.
The virus was first detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970 and is regarded as endemic in many African nations.
