- The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said that the recent outbreak of Monkey Pox in the country is under control
- The centre also said there is no recorded death case since the outbreak of the disease
- The centre also called on Nigerians to remain calm and observe basic hygiene for their families
Chikwe
Ihekweazu, Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
(NCDC), has appealed to Nigerians to remain calm as the Centre is
working very hard to control the Monkey Pox outbreak in Bayelsa.
Ihekweazu
who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on
Saturday in Abuja, assured that the centre was taking all the required
steps to manage the cases and prevent further spread.
He
said that a Rapid Response Team (RRT) from NCDC was immediately
deployed to support the Bayelsa state government in the investigations
and public health response.
Ihekweazu said that
of the 13 reported cases, only four are still receiving treatment,
while the discharged patients are doing well, with no death reported.
He said that if cases are detected early and well managed, the chances are that they will survive, “it is a self limiting illness, which means that there is no specific treatment for the virus.’’
Ihekweazu
said that “doctors and healthcare providers have been advised on what
to do; the key thing is to bring in patients with characteristic rash on
their face which is what stands Monkey Pox out from other diseases.
”Monkey
Pox looks like an extreme case of chickenpox, but a little bit more
severe and the disease looks and sounds a lot worse than it actually is.
”The
virus circulate in a few more animals apart from monkeys like rats,
squirrels and bush meat, and the period of increased risk is at the
point of killing, touching or preparing them.
”The
people at risk are those who kill, touch or cook the animals, that is,
those who come in contact with the animals and don’t use protective
measure or wash their hands after wards.
”Once the virus gets into the human population , then there is a risk of human to human transmission, which is what has happened in Bayelsa, but the first contact is from animal to human,” he said.
Ihekweazu
also explained that Monkey Pox infection is a relatively rare disease
that has previously been reported in Nigeria in the 1970s.
He said that it is primarily a zoonotic
infection that is transmitted primarily from animals to humans, with
limited subsequent person-to-person transmission.
Ihekweazu further
explained that there is no serious aftermath of the disease except
staying with the scare of the rash for quite a while,
The Rivers state government said it had recorded three cases of the disease outbreak that started in Bayelsa state.
It also said the cases were recorded in the capital city of the state, Port Harcourt.
Source: NAN
0 Comments