The Mpox Outbreak in Africa: 39 New Reported Cases of Mpox in Nigeria

The Mpox, Monkey pox in full, is a deadly contagious ailment caused by the Monkey pox virus. The virus spreads through close contact of humans and even infected animal. Any form of close contact such as touching, kissing and being intimate, exposure to contaminated materials, among others can spread the virus. Likely symptoms of the infectious virus includes: fever, severe rash, muscle pain, back pain, headache, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes. The virus was first declared a global health emergency in July 2022 and ended in May 2023. On Wednesday, CCN reported that “a deadlier strain of the virus, clade Ib, had reached four previously unaffected countries in Africa. This strain had previously been contained to the Democratic Republic of Congo”. The Democratic Republic of Congo, which is located in Central Africa has reported over 14,000 cases of the Mpox virus. The other four neighboring countries affected with the virus include: Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR), Kenya, and Rwanda.

Quite a number of international health organizations have responded to the sudden outbreak of the virus. For instance, the African CDC reported on the 14th of August that “Today, we declare Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. With 2,863 confirmed cases and 517 deaths across 13 African countries in 2024 alone, Mpox is a crisis demanding our collective action. AfricaCDC is activating resources, partnerships, and leading coordinated and strategic responses to protect our continent. We call on global partners to join us in this fight.”

In the same vein, on Wednesday 14th August, the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria reposted a post made by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of World Health Organization, that “The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives”.

Also, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) on their X official social media handle reposted announcement made by the African CDC and posted on the same day that “In response to the rising number of mpox cases across African countries, the AfricaCDC Director General has officially declared the ongoing Mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS). This critical declaration underscores the urgent need for coordinated action among Member States to contain and mitigate the outbreak’s impact across the continent.” This affirms that Nigeria as an African country, is prone to being infected by the virus, thus, preventive measures should be taken, but most importantly, the country needs to first be aware about the sudden outbreak of the infectious virus. Readers of this post could also be of help by reposting this breaking news on the Giantability Forum by clicking on the link and sharing on their social media handles. Aside that, friends and families could be advised to join this platform, so as not to miss out on updates.

To add, on the 15th of August, Channel television news reported that “The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says a total of 39 confirmed cases and zero deaths from mpox have been recorded across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory”. The Director General of the NCDC, Jide Idris, announced it at the press briefing that held on Thursday. He further posited that the NCDC are taking measures to carefully detect if there are new cases. He also added that the 5 international airports, 10 seaports, and 51 land crossing borders are on high alert. Beyond that, States including: Lagos, Enugu, Kano, Rivers, Cross-River, Akwa-Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have been placed on high alert. Although, more efforts need to be put in check to ensure other States are aware of the virus and taking precautions.

According to the AIT live report, “In Nigeria, 20 of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja have reported confirmed Mpox cases with 5 each in Bayelsa, 4 each in Enugu and Cross River, 3 each in Benue and Akwa Ibom while FCT, Delta, Anambra, Rivers and Plateau have 2 each. Kaduna, Nasarawa, Lagos, Zamfara, Kebbi, Oyo, Abia, Imo, Osun and Ebonyi have recorded one case each as authorities place nine states including Kano, Adamawa and Taraba on red alert”.

To conclude, It only took one infected man to bring COVID-19 into Nigeria. This experience shouldn’t repeat itself as many lives were lost as a result of the nation’s carelessness. The government should therefore take precautions and ensure the nation’s international borders are carefully monitoring people entering the country. The already identitied cases should be curbed and treated with immediate effects as the vaccines ought to be readily available. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.