NCDC Confirms 15 New Cases of Monkeypox

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 15 new cases of Monkeypox from 1 to 7 August 2022.

The health agency made the disclosure from its update for the Epi Week 31, 2022 report, from ten states.

It also discovered 60 suspected cases of the monkeypox infection from 19 states.

The fifteen (15) new confirmed cases were recorded from – Imo (3), FCT (2), Ondo (2), Rivers (2), Abia (1), Anambra (1), Ebonyi (1), Edo (1), Ogun (1) and Nasarawa (1).

According to the report, the 60 suspected cases were detected from 19 states including – Ebonyi (8), Abia (5), Adamawa (5), Ondo (5), Taraba (5), FCT (4), Imo (4), Lagos (4), Ogun (4) , Edo (3), Anambra (2), Gombe (2), Kwara (2), Rivers (2), Cross River (1), Oyo (1), Kano (1), Nasarawa (1) and Niger (1).

The agency stated that from 1 January to 7 August 2022, there have now been 473 suspected cases with 172 confirmed cases (115 male, 57 female) from twenty-seven (27) states – Lagos (20), Ondo (16), Adamawa (13), Rivers (13), Delta (12), Bayelsa (12), Edo (9), Nasarawa (9), Anambra (7), FCT (7), Imo (7), Plateau (6), Taraba (5), Kwara (5), Kano (5), Abia (4), Cross River (3), Borno (3), Oyo (3), Gombe (3), Katsina (2), Kogi (2), Ogun (2), Niger (1), Bauchi (1), Akwa Ibom (1) and Ebonyi (1).

In response to the monkeypox outbreak, the multi-agency MPX Emergency Operation Centre has begun coordination of Monkeypox activities at NCDC.

The risk communication pillar has responded with activities of daily tracking, monitoring and response to rumours and misinformation of Monkeypox in Nigeria. The pillar has also collaborated with partners to develop Monkeypox – specific awareness content to be available to the masses.

In terms of surveillance, the agency is providing off-site support to states, data harmonization and analysis for development of weekly sitrep and updating and validating data in SORMAS.

The agency has also made it known that there are ongoing efforts to strengthen surveillance at national and subnational levels, to increase awareness, and to promptly detect and respond to the outbreak.

Overall, since the re-emergence of Monkeypox in September 2017, 985 suspected cases have been reported from 35 states in the country.