JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
The Federal Government has intensified monitoring and screening procedures at all points of entry in response to the mpox threat.
The Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by his Special Assistant on Media and External Relations, Mr. Tashikalmah Hallah.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared mpox a global public health emergency following a surge in cases in Africa.
The virus has hit the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have been reported this year.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) earlier on Thursday confirmed 39 cases of mpox in the country.
MPox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by the highly contagious and deadly monkeypox virus.
This disease is transmitted through close contact such as sex, skin-to-skin contact, and talking or breathing near another infected person.
The virus causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions and can be fatal with four out of 100 cases resulting in death.
READ ALSO: Nigeria confirms 39 mpox cases
Pate said the NCDC and the Nigerian Port Health Service, under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare have taken steps to strengthen Nigeria’s defences.
He added that these steps had been taken even before mpox was declared a public health emergency by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC).
“This Mpox Clade 1 strain has caused death in up to 10 percent of individuals who fell ill in previous outbreaks.
“The aim is to address and mitigate its impact by implementing measures similar to those used during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the minister said.
Pate said the government has implemented a new mandate requiring all travelers to complete an online health declaration form before departing for the country.
The move, he said, was introduced alongside the activation of communicable disease centres in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
MPox Post: Nigeria intensifies surveillance at entry points for early detection first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.
