FG confirms three monkey pox cases

The Federal Government yesterday confirmed three monkey pox cases in Bayelsa State following laboratory investigations at the World Health Organization Regional Laboratory in Dakar, Senegal.

Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole made this known yesterday while briefing newsmen in Abuja.

He said there were 17 suspected cases reported from Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State as at October 13, adding that the ministry has received laboratory confirmation for Monkey pox virus from three of these cases, and that the results of 12 other cases from the state were negative while two results were being awaited.

“With these results, three suspected Monkey pox outbreak in Yenagoa has been confirmed with laboratory evidence. The most likely source of infection is a primary zoonotic transmission, from an animal, with secondary person-to-person transmission,” he said.

The minister said that since the initial announcement, a total of 43 other suspected cases have been reported from eight other states (Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ekiti, Lagos, Enugu, Nasarawa, Rivers, and FCT).

He said that of these, the four cases from Lagos State have also been tested and confirmed to be negative for the Monkey pox virus.

Prof Adewole said it was important to note that there has been no confirmation of Monkey pox in any other part of the country, saying it was likely that many of the other cases being reported were not caused by the Monkey pox virus.

National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, warned against contact with squirrels, rats and similar animals, especially when they were sick or found dead in areas where the Monkey pox virus was circulating.