WE HAVE NO CASE OF MONKEYPOX IN ABIA — STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST

REPORTER: JOHN MADUAGWU

Abia State Government has reiterated that there is no case of Monkeypox in the area.

The State Epidemiologist, Peace Nwogugu, made the clarification while speaking with Radio Nigeria on a recent situation report released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which indicated that the state had one confirmed case.

Mrs. Nwogugu explained that following her discussions with the Incident Manager on Monkeypox at NCDC, it was discovered that the case attributed to Abia was that of an indigene of the state resident in Anambra State, who contracted the ailment, pointing out that a mistake must have been made while inputting the records.

She emphasized that the state had heightened surveillance for monkeypox bearing in mind that confirmed cases had been reported in neighbouring states.

The State Epidemiologist advised residents to also be on the alert and quickly notify the nearest health facility if members of their family developed fever and rashes for prompt response.

She encouraged people to be serious about personal hygiene practices, including regular hand washing, use of sanitizers and maintaining physical and social distance as the ailment could be transmitted through body contact.

Meanwhile, based on situation reports made available by NCDC, Nigeria has since January 2022, recorded 62 confirmed cases of Monkeypox from 204 suspected cases.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU