Nigeria: No Monkey Pox Case in Ogun State

Toyibat Ajose

2 months ago

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, announced on Wednesday that no cases of Mpox have been reported across the state’s 20 local government areas.

In a statement released to journalists in Abeokuta, she emphasised that the state has maintained rigorous surveillance since the global Mpox outbreak in 2022.

“Mpox is a significant public health concern, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported outbreaks of a more virulent strain in some countries. Additionally, certain states in Nigeria have also experienced Mpox outbreaks,” she noted.

Dr. Coker assured that the Ogun State Ministry of Health is fully aware of this public health threat and has implemented effective measures for its prevention, early detection, and response.

A child his helped by her mother as a health worker looks on at the Mpox treatment centre at Nyiragongo General Referral Hospital, north of Goma on August 17, 2024. – With around 16,000 cases recorded since the beginning of the year, the DRC is the focus and epicentre of the epidemic that led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to trigger its highest level of alert at the international level on Wednesday. The province of South Kivu records around 350 new cases per week, according to Dr Justin Bengehya, epidemiologist at the provincial health division of South Kivu. Goma, capital of the province of North Kivu, almost surrounded by an armed rebellion and where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are crammed into makeshift camps, fears a large-scale spread due to promiscuity. (Photo by GUERCHOM NDEBO / AFP)

“The last recorded case of Mpox in Ogun State was in May 2023, and there have been no confirmed cases since then,” she stated.

“As of August 18, 2024, the state’s surveillance system has identified 151 suspected cases of Mpox, but none have been confirmed as Mpox. However, 53 cases tested positive for Chickenpox.

“We are aware of the Chickenpox cases in the state and have already taken the necessary precautions.

“Public sensitisation on Mpox, Chickenpox, and other priority diseases is ongoing through established channels, so there is no cause for alarm,” she added.