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Tag: monkeypox

  • Just in: Six more cases of Monkeypox confirmed

    The Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire has announced laboratory confirmation of six additional cases among the suspected cases of Monkeypox.

    These include two cases each in Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom States, one in Enugu State and one in the Federal Capital Territory, making it a total of nine confirmed cases of Monkeypox in Nigeria.

    Dr Ehanire who announced this today in his office said investigations are ongoing to see if any of the new cases have a link with the Bayelsa cluster, where the outbreak started.

    He called for calm among members of the public, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is working with all affected States to ensure case finding and adequate management.

    He added that as frightening as the manifestation of the ailment may seem, no fatality has been recorded to date.

    As at October 25, 2017, a total of 94 suspected cases have been reported from 11 States (Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Rivers) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    He noted that the newly confirmed cases are patients already being managed by public health authorities and have been receiving appropriate clinical care since the onset of the illness.

    The Federal Ministry of Health, through the NCDC, is in close contact with all State Epidemiology Teams, as well as the health facilities providing clinical care to both suspected and confirmed cases.

    State Commissioners of Health have been advised to place all health care facilities and disease surveillance and notification officers on alert, to ensure early case detection, reporting and effective treatment.

    Ehanire said, “A National-level Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) led by the NCDC with support from our development partners, is coordinating outbreak investigation and response across affected States.

    “The EOC includes the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as experts from partner agencies.

    “The NCDC has also deployed Rapid Response Teams to the four States with confirmed cases. Measures have been put in place to ensure proper investigation of all reported cases, effective sample collection and testing, as well as case management of all suspected and confirmed cases. Risk communication activities have been heightened to advise the public as well as healthcare workers on preventive measures. A nationwide communications campaign has begun, to inform Nigerians of key preventive measures to take to curtail the further spread of monkeypox.”

    Nigerians are advised to always wash hands with soap and water after contact with animals or, when caring for sick relatives, or managing soiled beddings.

  • Patient suspected with Monkeypox disappears from Kano hospital

    A disease suspected to be Monkeypox has been detected in Kano State.

    The disease was recorded at a public hospital in Tiga town, Bebeji local government area of the state.

    “A health official who pleaded anonymity, said a patient from Nasarawar-Kuki village was diagnosed with the disease.” Daily Trust reports

    He added that the patient was quarantined at the hospital before he later ran away to an unknown destination.

    He said, “The man absconded from the hospital on Wednesday night and up till this moment that I am talking to you, we could not trace him.

    “Our concern is how to trace the man so that he won’t spread the disease to others. We have informed all the necessary authorities including traditional leaders so that they can help us in the search for this man.”

    When contacted, the Public Relations Officer, Kano State Ministry of Health, Malam Isma’ila Garba Gwammaja confirmed emergence of a disease, but said it was not certain whether it was monkeypox or not.

    He said, “The ministry was informed about the disease today (yesterday) and a team of health personnel have been deployed to the village to ascertain whether the disease is monkeypox or not.”

  • Monkeypox victim commits suicide in Bayelsa

    One of the victims of the viral disease, monkeypox, has committed suicide, the Bayelsa State government confirmed on Monday.

    The victim who reportedly took his own life on Monday at the quarantine centre in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, located in the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.

    Addressing journalists on Monday evening in Yenagoa, the state capital, the Commissioner for Health, Ebitimitula Etebu, said the deceased was among the 21 suspected cases of the virus that were being managed at the teaching hospital.

    Mr. Etebu was joined at the conference by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the Chief Medical Director of the NDUTH, Dimie Ogoina, and other senior health officials.

    He expressed regret that the patient took his own life despite impressive progress to stem the outbreak by the government. He said the deceased’s medical history did not suggest any mental illness or features of depression.

    The health commissioner maintained the patient did not die from the disease, adding that the police and his family had been duly informed and all due diligence was being followed to ensure the safe burial of victim.

    Mr. Etebu said that a committee had been put in place to evaluate the deceased’s clinical and social history to shed more light on the tragedy.

    He also formally confirmed the outbreak of monkeypox in the state following laboratory evidence from samples sent to the World Health Organisation in Dakar, Senegal.

     

     

  • FG confirms three cases of Monkeypox in Bayelsa, declares Lagos virus free

    The Federal Government on Monday confirmed three fresh cases of Monkeypox virus insisting that all cases from Lagos tested negative.

    The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole said the three suspected samples of the virus sent to Senegal for testing, have been confirmed.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the samples were sent to the World Health Orgaisation, WHO’s laboratory in Dakar, the Senegalese capital.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that minister had earlier announced on October 11 that the Centre for Disease Control had taken samples for laboratory analysis at the Redeemed University in Ede, Osun State, and in Senegal.

    In his words: “As of October 13, 2017, there were 17 SUSPECTED cases reported from Yenagoa LGA in Bayelsa State.

    “We have received laboratory confirmation for Monkeypox virus from three of these cases from the WHO Regional Laboratory in Dakar, Senegal. Samples from 12 other cases from Bayelsa were negative.

    “With these results, four suspected Monkeypox outbreak in Yenagoa have 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.

    “Since our 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). Of these, four cases from Lagos have also been tested and confirmed to be negative for the Monkeypox virus.

    “We expect that many of these cases being reported from other states in Nigeria are not caused by the Monkeypox virus, but we will continue to investigate all those cases that fit the case definition.

    “Further laboratory tests using whole genome sequencing are being carried out by the Africa Centre for Genomics and Infectious Diseases in Redeemers University Ede, Ogun State.”

     

  • BREAKING: Monkeypox spreads to Lagos, 2 cases reported

    Lagos State commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, on Monday said that two suspected cases of Monkeypox have been recorded in the state.

    The Commissioner disclosed this at a news conference on Monday, saying that the two suspected cases were currently under observation in health facilities in the state.
    “Though no confirmed case has been recorded, there is need to sensitise members of the public and provide adequate information on measures for prevention and control of the disease in line with the policy of the State government,” he said.

    Monkey Pox is a virus found only in monkeys and it is rare in human beings. It belongs to the same family as Chicken Pox and Smallpox.

    It is suspected that someone may have contracted it by eating monkey meat, thus triggering the current outbreak.

    With the confirmation of two new cases of monkeypox in Lagos, there are now 15 cases of the disease in the country.

  • Monkeypox: Avoid eating monkeys, bush meat, FG warns Nigerians

    The Federal Ministry of Health has advised Nigerians to desist from eating monkeys, bush meat and dead animals as doing so could make one susceptible to the Monkeypox Disease.

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said this in a statement signed by the Director, Media and Public Relations at the ministry, Mrs. Boade Akinola, on Thursday.

    Adewole said the disease neither had a cure nor a vaccine. He, however, said there was no cause for alarm as it was mild.

    The statement read in part, “He said that the virus was mild and there was no known treatment and no preventive vaccines hence the public should be at alert and avoid crowded places as much as possible

    “He advised the public to avoid eating dead animals, bush meat and particularly bush monkeys.”

    The minister also revealed that test samples had been sent to the World Health Organisation in Senegal but the result was not yet out.

    The statement added, “Prof. Adewole said although Monkeypox could not be confirmed until laboratory investigations by WHO referral laboratory in Dakar, Senegal, he noted that Monkeypox was milder and had no record of mortality.

    “The symptoms include headache, fever, back pains and in advanced cases, rashes bigger than those caused by chicken pox.

    He said the disease was a viral illness by a group of viruses that included chickenpox and smallpox.

    “Investigation is still ongoing and our partners are working with us on this reported outbreak’ while the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control team in Bayelsa State would give support,” the statement said.