The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday revealed that Nigeria has confirmed 40 cases of mpox out of 830 suspected cases.
According to The PUNCH, this update was shared by the NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, during a joint briefing with the World Health Organisation in Abuja, which involved key stakeholders and partners.
Idris emphasized that since mpox was classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the NCDC has taken proactive measures, including establishing an Emergency Operations Centre and an Incident Management System.
“Currently, we have 40 confirmed cases out of 830 suspected cases. We have not recorded any deaths, which is remarkable,” he stated.
He further explained that an incident action plan has been developed to tackle the outbreak, addressing various aspects through different pillars.
To strengthen Nigeria’s response, the NCDC has been working closely with state governments and state Commissioners of Health, advising them to establish emergency preparedness and response teams within their jurisdictions.
These teams are expected to coordinate efforts with Local Government Areas to ensure a cohesive approach.
Idris also highlighted the significance of surveillance in combating the spread of mpox. He noted that the 40 confirmed cases are spread across approximately 12 to 13 states, with a concentration in the South-South and South-East regions, as well as in Lagos, Ogun, and some northern areas.
The NCDC is focusing on these regions to curb the spread and is ramping up active surveillance to identify more cases.
In addition to surveillance, Idris underscored the need to “enhance our laboratory services.” He mentioned that all confirmed cases have been validated through genomic sequencing conducted at the National Research Lab in Abuja and Lagos. However, given the geographical spread of the disease, there is a pressing need to expand testing capabilities.
Plans are underway to incorporate additional laboratories, including those at Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the African Centre for Genomics, to better manage the outbreak.
Idris also pointed out the importance of improving laboratory infrastructure, particularly in the South-South and South-East regions, to ensure quicker and more accurate testing.
Alongside these efforts, the NCDC is intensifying public awareness campaigns to educate the population about mpox, its symptoms, and preventive measures.
Despite these efforts, the NCDC faces challenges, particularly in data collection, which are being actively addressed.
Meanwhile, the WHO Country Representative, Dr. Walter Mulombo, emphasized the critical need to remain vigilant, stressing the importance of monitoring microbes in nature that could potentially trigger the disease.
In a significant development, the WHO Nigeria Country Office announced that Nigeria would soon receive doses of the mpox vaccine, thanks to a donation from the United States Government, further bolstering the country’s fight against the disease.
