The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has been closely monitoring several endemic diseases including Mpox which has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International / Continental Concern (PHEIC / PHECC) by both the WHO and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
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| Mpox in Nigeria |
So far, about 2,863 confirmed cases and 517 deaths across 13 African countries have been reported in 2024 alone. This alarming increase is linked to a new strain of the Mpox virus which emerged in eastern Congo and has since been detected in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
In Nigeria, a total of 39 confirmed cases and zero deaths have been recorded across 19 States + FCT from the beginning of the year 2024. Noting the significant concern of the ease of cross-border transmission, this press conference is part of the effort to intensify our coordination and communication with stakeholders to manage the spread of the virus and prevent disease importation.
What you need to know about Mpox
Mpox is a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease (i.e., disease of animals transmitted from animals to humans) that is endemic in several African countries including the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa. The exact reservoir of the virus is still unknown although rodents, squirrels and monkeys are suspected to play a part in transmission.
The Mpox virus can spread both from animal to human and from human to human. Animal-to-human transmission may occur by direct contact with the blood, body fluids, skin or mucosal lesions of infected animals (e.g., monkeys, squirrels, and rodents). This can happen through a bite, scratch, handling of, or eating inadequately cooked or other products of infected bushmeat. Human-to-human (person-to-person) transmission occurs when a person comes into contact with the virus from an infected human, or materials contaminated with the virus such as clothing and beddings.
Sign and Symptoms
Symptoms of the illness include fever, headache, body aches, weakness, swollen lymph nodes (glands) and a rash. After about 1 to 3 days of fever, the rash erupts, beginning on the face and then spreading to the body with the face and palms/soles being mostly affected. They can also occur in and around the genitals which is why contact during sex is another mode of transmission.
ncdc.gov.ng
Read: Prevention of Mpox
