Monkeypox: Nigeria reports uptrend in confirmed cases in 2021

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has registered 59 suspected cases of Monkeypox with 15 confirmed, its Director-General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ihekweazu was reacting to the Dallas, Texas resident who recently returned from Nigeria and tested positive for the disease.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that it was the first confirmed case of the virus in the U.S. since 2003, with health officials saying that the public should not be concerned.

Since September 2017, Nigeria has been experiencing the largest monkeypox outbreak in the country’s history. The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported a total of 466 suspected monkeypox cases from 30 states.

Monkeypox, a rare zoonosis that occurs sporadically in forested areas of Central and West Africa, is an orthopoxvirus that can cause fatal illness.

The disease manifestations are similar to human smallpox (eradicated since 1980), however, human monkeypox is less severe. The disease is self-limiting with symptoms usually resolving within 14–21 days. Treatment is supportive.

The virus is transmitted through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids and cutaneous/mucosal lesions of infected animals (rats, squirrels, monkeys, dormice, striped mice, chimpanzees amongst other rodents) Secondary human-to-human transmission is limited but can occur via exposure to respiratory droplets, contact with infected persons or contaminated materials.

Ihekweazu told NAN that just as the agency responded to other epidemic-prone diseases in the country, an outbreak would be declared when there was a large cluster of monkeypox cases that constituted an emergency.

“The Federal Government was notified of the situation in Texas, through the International Health Regulations (IHR), who reported a case of monkeypox disease diagnosed in a patient who had recently visited Nigeria.