IMO RECORDS TWO CASES OF MONKEY POX VIRUS
REPORTER: UGOCHUKWU AGU
An infectious disease specialist with the Federal Medical Centre Owerri, Dr. Juliet Mmerem, says there have been two confirmed cases of the monkeypox virus in the state.
Dr. Mmerem, who stated this while speaking with journalists in Owerri on the increasing spread of the virus, described it as a zoonotic infectious disease belonging to the orthopox genus group of virus and can be mistaken for chickenpox.
“Talking about people that were tested and we have a diagnosis in the recent two years, it is just the two of them. Some patients present with rashes but abscond.
“This is just one facility in the state, there might be cases that have been reported in other health care facilities in the state,” the doctor said.
Dr. Mmerem noted that monkey pox is a highly infectious disease and could be transmitted through contact with an infected person’s body fluid, respiratory droplets and sharing of contaminated materials, including beddings.
According to the infectious disease specialist, monkey pox symptoms are self limiting and could clear after two to three weeks of supporting treatment, but could disfigure the affected body parts, thereby causing stigmatization and psychological effect.
“The fever and the rash are the common symptoms. Persons could still have body aches, back aches, muscles aches, sore throat, the eye could be red, something we refer to as conjunctivitis, then head aches,” she enumarated.
Dr. Mmerem announced an ongoing health care campaign to increase the level of awareness of the disease and to educate people on where to seek help when they noticed monkey pox symptoms.
She advised people to avoid anyone who presented any of the symptoms of the disease and refrain from consumption of bush meats they were not sure of the source.
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in its report noted that there have been 141 suspected cases of monkeypox in the country this 2022 and 36 confirmed cases in 15 states, with 2 cases in Imo State.
