By Iyemah David
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it has activated a national multisectoral Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for Monkeypox.
The activation was as a result of a risk assessment conducted by the NCDC on Monkeypox, to inform Nigeria’s decision on preparedness and response to the ongoing Monkeypox outbreaks in multiple countries.
The Director-General, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, disclosed in an interview with newsmen that the EOC would continue to coordinate ongoing response activities in-country while contributing to the global response.
It was reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become the first Gulf state to record a case of monkeypox following the outbreak of cases in the UK and US.
The U.S. monkeypox case tally is relatively small compared to some countries in Europe. Spain has confirmed 84 cases and the U.K. 85. In total, nearly 300 cases have been confirmed outside of Africa since the start of the month.
The Czech Republic and Slovenia also reported their first cases on May 24, joining 18 other countries to detect the virus outside its usual African base.
Confirmed cases of the disease have been reported in Europe, Australia and America.
That number is expected to rise further still, but public health experts say the overall risk to the general population remains low. The symptoms often include fever and rash – but the infection is usually mild.
Dr Adetifa said that a national multisectoral multidisciplinary Incident Management System for Monkeypox had been activated at level two (medium).
“You are aware that Level 1: is watching mode. Level 2: is alert mode while Level 3: is emergency response mode, so Nigeria is on level two at the moment,” he explained.
The NCDC DG said that the EOC would continue to monitor and coordinate efforts to reduce the risk of spread within and outside the country while contributing to ensuring global outbreak preparedness and control.
According to him, Monkeypox occurs sporadically, primarily in Central and West Africa, however, some of the cases which have been reported in other parts of the world have no travel link to these regions.
“It does not spread easily between people, but it can be spread through: touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with the monkeypox rash, touching monkeypox skin blisters or defects.
“If you get infected with monkeypox, it usually takes between five and 21 days for the first symptoms to appear. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.
“A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body. The rash changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off,” he explained.
He emphasized that anyone can be infected with or pass on monkeypox therefore, we must discourage stigmatization. If you are showing known symptoms of the disease, promptly contact the NCDC toll-free line 6232 for guidance on the steps to take.
