By Iyemah David
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has decried what it described as widespread misinformation about the infection, especially in Nigeria.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, said this on Tuesday at a virtual media dialogue on the infection.
Adetifa, however, admitted that there was an uptick in Monkeypox cases in Nigeria.
“If not contained, it could exceed the peak number of cases seen in 2017 when the infection re-emerged.
“Monkeypox is not a plot to cause lockdowns like COVID-19 and there is no evidence of the release of the virus from a laboratory,” he said.
He noted that more than 3,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and one death have been recorded globally as of June 22.
The NCDC said that the nearly 5,000 human infections with monkeypox that have been reported worldwide.
The NCDC DG said though rare, Monkeypox was not a novel disease.
“In Nigeria, there has been no observed change in transmissibility of the virus nor changes in its clinical manifestation documented (including symptoms, profile, and virulence) nor is their evidence of sexual transmission.
“Apart from misinformation, discrimination and stigmatisation that comes with the Monkeypox infection needs urgent intervention across the globe.
“Prevailing media perception and misinformation on monkeypox has fuelled false narratives about the virus, and the potential risk of discrimination and stigmatisation from this requires urgent social and behaviour change intervention.
Since its sudden resurgence in 2017, he said, a multi-agency Technical Working Group (TWG) coordinated at the NCDC has led Nigeria’s efforts to improve the detection, prevention, and control of monkeypox.
“Significantly, we have gained a better understanding of the epidemiology of the virus to inform preparedness and response in-country,” he said.
He said that genomic sequencing is ongoing at NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory to identify possible mutations and the epidemiology of the virus.
According to him, NCDC is supporting the global effort to respond to the disease as well as pushing for the renaming and re-classification of the virus to a “non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising nomenclature.”
“Monkeypox is a priority despite being neglected for years, especially during outbreaks as we have had in Nigeria and neighbouring countries such as DR Congo a few years back.
“While it is unfortunate that it takes such a global spread for the needed attention to be given, here in Nigeria, it has remained a priority for us,” he said.
