Nigeria records 4 monkeypox cases in July

At least four cases of monkeypox were confirmed in Nigeria in July 2021, according to a report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Monkeypox is a viral illness caused by a group of viruses that include chicken pox and small pox, with symptoms like severe headache, fever, back pains, among others.

A 2017 outbreak spread to at least 14 states and sparked nationwide panic, but it became largely forgotten until a man tested positive in the United States after arriving from Nigeria early last month.

The NCDC said it was notified of the case, and is supporting the relevant state governments in Nigeria to carry out outbreak investigation and response.

A total of 17 monkeypox cases have been confirmed in Delta (6), Lagos (4), Bayelsa (3), Rivers (3), and Edo (1) since the beginning of the year, with no deaths.

This year's haul is already more than double the eight cases that were confirmed last year.

Of the nearly 500 cases reported since the 2017 outbreak, 209 have been confirmed in 18 states, with eight deaths in four years.

Monkeypox response in Nigeria is coordinated by a multi-agency Technical Working Group at NCDC, with offsite support provided to states.

Low utilisation of health facilities by patients due to stigmatisation, cost, and low mortality rate, as well as low sample collection rate in reporting states have been identified as significant challenges to the national response.