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Tag: monkeypox

  • Monkeypox now in 11 states, WHO confirms more cases

    Monkeypox now in 11 states, WHO confirms more cases

    The Federal Ministry of health has announced laboratory confirmation of six additional cases among the earlier reported suspected cases of Monkeypox virus.

    Mrs Boade Akinola, Director Media and Public Relations in the ministry, made this known in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.

    Akinola said two cases were confirmed each in Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom while Enugu State and FCT had one case each.

    News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the WHO Reference Laboratory had earlier confirmed three cases in Bayelsa.

    Akinola, quoted the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, as saying that investigations were ongoing to see if any of the new cases has a link with the Bayelsa cluster, where the outbreak started.

    Ehanire called for calm among members of the public, adding that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is working with all affected states to ensure case finding and adequate management.
    He added that as frightening as the manifestation of the ailment might seem, no fatality has been recorded to date.

    NAN reports that on Sept. 22, NCDC received a report of a suspected case of Monkey pox disease from Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH), Okolobiri, Bayelsa.

    The minister said as at the Oct. 25, a total of 94 suspected cases have been reported from 11 states.
    He said the states are Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    He said patients of the newly confirmed cases were already being managed by public health authorities and have been receiving appropriate clinical care.
    He said Ministry, through NCDC, was in close contact with all State Epidemiology Teams, and the health facilities providing clinical care to both suspected and confirmed cases.

    He added that State Commissioners of Health have been advised to place all health care facilities and Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers on alert, to ensure early case detection, reporting and effective treatment.

    The minister said a National-level Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) led by the NCDC with support from our development partners, was coordinating outbreak investigation and response across affected states.

    He added the EOC included the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as experts from partner agencies.

    He said the EOC would provide daily support to state ministries of health in active case finding, epidemiological investigation, contact tracing, case management, psychosocial support and risk communication.

    Ehanire said the NCDC has also deployed Rapid Response Teams to the four States with confirmed cases.

    He added that the NCDC has been working with Monkeypox virus experts from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent further spread.

  • Monkeypox hit Abuja as FG confirms six fresh cases

    Monkeypox hit Abuja as FG confirms six fresh cases

    The Federal Government has confirmed six new cases of the MonekyPox virus in the country, with one case recorded in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of State for Health, made this known in a statement by Mrs Boade Akinola, Director of Media and Public Relations, Ministry of Heath.

    Akinola said apart from the one recorded in Abuja, two cases were confirmed each in Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom while Enugu State had one case.

    Ehanire also said investigations were ongoing to see if any of the new cases has a link with the Bayelsa cluster, where the outbreak started.

    He further called for calm among members of the public, adding that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is working with all affected states to ensure case finding and adequate management.

    He added that as frightening as the manifestation of the ailment might seem, no fatality has been recorded to date. As of Oct. 25, a total of 94 suspected cases have been reported from 11 states, (Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Rivers and Abuja).

    He said patients of the newly confirmed cases were already being managed by public health authorities and have been receiving appropriate clinical care.

    He said Ministry, through NCDC, was in close contact with all State Epidemiology Teams, and the health facilities providing clinical care to both suspected and confirmed cases.

    He added that State Commissioners of Health have been advised to place all health care facilities and Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers on alert, to ensure early case detection, reporting and effective treatment.

    Read also: Monkey Pox victim commits suicide in Bayelsa hospital

    The minister said a National-level Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) led by the NCDC with support from our development partners, was coordinating outbreak investigation and response across affected states.

    He added the EOC included the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as experts from partner agencies.

     

  • Monkeypox suicide: family raises posers for hospital

    Monkeypox suicide: family raises posers for hospital

    The Monkeypox victim who committed suicide at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital(NDUTH), Okolobiri in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State has been identified as Mr. Perekebina Biu.

    Biu, who was receiving treatment in the isolation ward of the hospital reportedly hanged himself with a rope.

    It was gathered that the deceased until the incident was the Treasurer of the Agbere Youth body in Sagbama Local Government Area and was married with three children.

    His father, it was learnt, hails from Patani in Delta state while his mother is from Agbere community.

    Agbere was reportedly recovering from the Monkeypox disease he contacted in Yenagoa before he took his life.

    Family sources, who spoke in confidence formulated some posers for the management of NDUTH.

    They accused the hospital management of negligence wondering how a patient in a quarantine centre could take his life easily without the knowledge of doctors and nurses.

    A source said: “The late victim was in the hospital for treatment. And he was responding to treatment though. But come to think about it, how did it happen?

    “The Monkeypox victims were supposed to be in an isolated area. Where were the Doctors, nurses and other staff? Where did he get the rope? The hospital management has a question to answer.”

    The deceased, according to family sources had no record of a mental case.

    The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, said the deceased was among the 21 suspected cases of ‘Monkeypox’ that were being managed at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH).

    He expressed regret that the patient took his own life despite speedily recovering from the disease.

    He  ‎said the deceased medical history did not suggest any mental illness or features of depression.

    He maintained that the patient did not die from the Monkeypox disease.

    Etebu said that the police and his family had been duly contacted and all due diligence was being followed for his funeral.

    He sympathised with the family and said that a committee had been put in place to evaluate his past and recent clinical and social history.

    He said the examination would determine “if there were undisclosed mental illness or personal family problem that could have justified the suicide”.

  • Monkeypox: Ministry appeals to parents to return wards to school

    Monkeypox: Ministry appeals to parents to return wards to school

    Enugu State Ministry of Education has appealed to parents to send their wards back to school, assuring them that no unapproved activities were carried out in any school.

    The state commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze, gave the assurance in a signed statement issued in Enugu on Friday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on Wednesday, virtually all schools in South East abruptly suspended academic activities over an unconfirmed rumour of vaccination being administered on pupils in primary schools by soldiers.

    It was alleged that some military personnel were forcing people to engage in a free medical vaccination and were been injected with Monkeypox virus.

                 Read Also: Monkeypox: Transmission, symptoms, Prevention

    NAN reports that parents in the state especially in Enugu metropolis quickly withdrew their children and wards from schools as early as 10 a.m. that fateful day.

    While some schools which gates were locked with a padlock, were forcefully opened, some of them had their gates damaged due to the stampede to get the children out from schools.

    But Eze said that his ministry’s investigation revealed that the Monkeypox news had been found out to be untrue and unfounded.

    “We are appealing to parents to do the needful by sending their wards and children back to school.

    “The ministry had taken appropriate pro-active steps to ensure that our schools are safe and no unauthorized and unapproved activities are carried out in any school in the state.

    “The ministry had strengthened its supervisory and monitoring units with more hands as well as given them additional mandates in order to keep a close eye on schools especially on activities on-going in and round schools,’’ he assured.

    NAN reports that since Wednesday, after the unfounded Monkeypox rumour incident, school attendance has dropped slightly in the state.

  • Monkeypox virus

    •There is an urgent need to upgrade our healthcare system

    Given the widely acknowledged poor state of public health care services in Nigeria, the country’s decisive and effective response in checking the spread of the deadly Ebola virus disease which broke out here between July and October, 2014, was near-miraculous. From July 20, 2014, when the index case of Ebola virus infection flew into Lagos from Liberia to October 20 when the World Health Organization (WHO) officially certified Nigeria Ebola free, 20 cases were confirmed and nine deaths, including the index case were recorded. During the period, 529 persons who had come in contact with Ebola victims were identified, quarantined and placed under the mandatory 21-day surveillance before they were confirmed to be free of the virus. The WHO described Nigeria’s feat in this regard as ‘a piece of world-class epidemiological detective work’ and ‘a spectacular success story’.

    Unfortunately, the same level of success was not witnessed when the country experienced the outbreak of another virulent communicable disease, Lassa fever, in December 2016. The number of deaths lost to Lassa fever in that instance was inexcusable, particularly because the country had recorded several outbreaks of the disease and hundreds of deaths over the last five decades. As at June, 2017, 501 suspected cases of Lassa fever had been detected and 104 deaths recorded.

    It is thus heartwarming that greater alertness and more efficient responses have been demonstrated by health authorities across the country to cases of the monkeypox virus, which was first recorded in Bayelsa State last month, and has reportedly spread to at least seven states. According to the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), about 31 cases of the infectious disease transmitted to humans from monkey virus, have been detected so far in Rivers, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. Detection of cases facilitates the quarantine of persons believed to be infected and helps curtail the spread of the disease, for which there is reportedly not yet any vaccine or specific treatment in the country.

    Some states have sought to disprove outright the occurrence of any incidence of monkeypox virus within their territories or downplayed the seriousness of reported cases. Strongly denying that there had been any case of the disease in Enugu State, for instance, the commissioner for health, Dr. Fintan Ekochin, argued that a distinction should be made between suspected and confirmed cases stressing that “We have no confirmed case of monkey- pox in Enugu State”. It is of course evident that only when suspected cases are treated with requisite seriousness can genuine infections be confirmed and public safety protected.

    In the same vein, the Ogun State health commissioner, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, blamed what he described as an ‘overzealous’ member of staff for wrongly reporting a case of skin lesion on a patient as monkeypox. Such ‘overzealousness’ is in our view excusable as it is better to be mistaken in the circumstance than to allow an infected person roam free, thus endangering others.

    It is instructive that the monkeypox virus, like other communicable diseases transmitted from animals to humans, thrives in dirty and unhygienic environments where rodents cohabit with people. And there is a high causative linkage between the level of poverty in a society and the degree of environmental degradation as well as undesirable dietary habits that engender the spread of communicable diseases such as monkeypox.

    To effectively contain this challenge, therefore, intensive public enlightenment must focus on the imperative of environmental cleanliness as well as avoidance of nutritionally harmful practices like the consumption of rodents. Apart from taking urgent steps to upgrade the country’s deplorable healthcare system, poverty alleviation must no longer be a matter of empty political sloganeering if contagious diseases like monkeypox are not to be a recurrent, life-threatening danger in Nigeria.   

  • Monkeypox spreads to Lagos, two cases recorded

    Monkeypox spreads to Lagos, two cases recorded

    The Lagos State Government confirmed  that it has recorded two suspected cases and appealed to residents to remain calm and vigilant.

    Commissioner for Health Dr. Jide Idris told reporters that the two suspected cases were currently being investigated.

    “Though no confirmed case has been recorded, there is need to sensitise members of the public and provide adequate information on measures for prevention and control of the disease in line with the policy of the State government,” he said.

    Idris said the two suspected cases were recorded in a private hospital which he did not disclose. He added that one of the suspected case just came from Bayelsa State and ate bush meat.

    Idris said the two suspected cases had been quarantined in their various houses pending the result of the investigation.

    The commissioner said in the wake of this outbreak, the state government is reiterating the need for members of the public to observe and maintain a high standard of personal and environmental hygiene at all times as part of the precautionary measures to prevent the spread to the State.

    He urged members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspected case of the disease to the nearest public health facility or the Directorate of Disease Control in the State Ministry of Health.

    “Also, health workers are advised to practice universal safety precautions in the management of suspected or confirmed cases, wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment when attending to cases, wash hands after each contact with patient or contaminated materials while surveillance system must be strengthened.

    “The state government has mobilised the Disease Surveillance Officers in the 57 LGAs and LCDAs in the state and health workers in both public and private health facilities have been placed on high alert,” Idris said.

    Idris called on residents of the State to remain calm and go about their businesses without fear as the government had put in place adequate measures to effectively prevent and control the spread of the infection to the State.

    “In case of any suspected case of Monkey Pox, the Lagos State Ministry of Health should be notified through the following mobile lines: 08037170614, 09087106072,” he said

  • Monkeypox: Transmission, symptoms, Prevention

    Monkeypox: Transmission, symptoms, Prevention

    Just like the news of Ebola, Monkeypox is here and it is spreading very fast. Risk factors include animal bites and scratches from infected animals (mainly African rodents or monkeys) or from other rodents that have had contact with  animals infected with the virus. People should avoid eating any meat from such animals is advised. Recent studies have shown that several species of mammals can be infected with monkeypox, even though the species had never been associated with the virus in their normal environment.

    Transmission
    monkeypox virus can be transmitted when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus.

    The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth). Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch, bush meat preparation, direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, or indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated bedding.

    Human-to-human transmission is thought to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets. Respiratory droplets generally cannot travel more than a few feet, so prolonged face-to-face contact is required.

    Other human-to-human methods of transmission include direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, and indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens.

    Symptoms

    In humans, the symptoms of monkeypox are similar to but milder than the symptoms of smallpox. Monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion
    The illness begins with:
    • Fever
    • Headache
    • Muscle aches
    • Backache
    • Swollen lymph nodes
    • Chills
    • Exhaustion
    Within 1 to 3 days (sometimes longer) after the appearance of fever, the patient develops a rash, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body.

    Prevention
    There are number of measures that can be taken to prevent infection with monkeypox virus:
    • Avoid contact with animals that could harbor the virus (including animals that are sick or that have been found dead in areas where monkeypox occurs).
    • Avoid contact with any materials, such as bedding, that has been in contact with a sick animal.
    • Isolate infected patients from others who could be at risk for infection.
    • Practice good hand hygiene after contact with infected animals or humans. For example, washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

     

  • MonkeyPox: Symptoms and Facts

    MonkeyPox: Symptoms and Facts

    If you have been watching the news or reading online lately, you’d have heard of a disease outbreak in Bayelsa called “Monkeypox”.

    You might be quite familiar with a similarly named disease- chickenpox, and perhaps smallpox.
    “Monkeypox, however, must sound quite strange to you.

    Here are 5 facts about Monkeypox you should know:
    #1: It can affect humans.
    Even though it is named after monkeys, it can affect humans. The reason behind its name is that it was discovered among monkeys in Denmark in 1958.
    In 1970, it was first reported among humans when a 9 year old boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo was found to have contracted the disease.

    #2: It is caused by a virus that can be deadly.
    Monkeypox is a disease caused by a viral infection. The monkeypox virus is in the same genus as smallpox and cowpox.
    The virus can cause an illness in humans that can be fatal.
    Monkeypox causes death in less than 10% of people that are infected with it. If you were wondering why I used “less” in my last statement, let’s compare this mortality rate with that of smallpox or ebola virus.

    Although smallpox has been eradicated from nature, its common form killed about 30% of people infected. Also, it caused facial scars on upto 80% of people who had it.

    Ebola virus, is several times more deadly than monkeypox. The last outbreak in West Africa killed more than 50% of people who got infected.

    Monkeypox can lead to death in humans but has a far lower mortality rate than smallpox and ebola.
    #3. It starts with a fever.
    Now, don’t panic. Not all fevers in Bayelsa state are monkeypox, malaria is still the most common cause of fevers in Nigeria.
    However, 7-14 days after a person is infected with monkeypox, the person would start showing signs and symptoms.
    Some signs and symptoms of monkeypox are:
    Fever
    Headache
    Muscle pain
    Back pain
    Enlargement of lymph nodes
    Body weakness
    1-3 days after the fever starts, a rash develops. The rash is known to start from the face, and then spreads to other parts of the body.
    The illness usually lasts about 2-4 weeks.

    The symptoms are quite similar to smallpox. One difference though, is that monkeypox has significant enlargement of lymph nodes, while smallpox doesn’t have that as a characteristic feature.
    Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped structures that make up an important part of the immune system.
    #4. It can be gotten from rodents.
    Apart from monkeys, the monkeypox virus has been isolated in rodents like rats and squirrels.
    The primary method by which human outbreaks start, is when a person comes in close contact with an infected animal.
    In rural areas, infected rodents can be hunted and then eaten, hence, increasing the likelihood of a human outbreak, especially if the meat isn’t thoroughly cooked.

    It can also be spread from person-to-person. How? By close contact with an infected person.
    Close contact with respiratory secretions like sneeze and cough droplets, can lead to the spread of the monkeypox virus.
    Also, contact with an infected person’s blood, body fluids, rash and clothing can spread the virus.
    This is why it is important for infected people to be identified and quarantined. In the current outbreak in Bayelsa, a medical doctor and some others have been quarantined and kept in isolation wards to prevent the spread of the disease.
    #5. It can be prevented.
    This is the good news. Monkeypox can be prevented.
    At the moment, there is no specific treatment or vaccine available for this disease, however, you can protect yourself from getting infected by following these:
    Avoid close contact with infected persons or animals.
    Ensure you cook meat thoroughly.
    Practice hand washing optimally
    Health workers should use gloves and personal protective equipment.

    Conclusion:
    The current outbreak of Monkeypox in Bayelsa is not something you should panic about. However, you should ensure you follow the necessary preventive measures and you should be fine.

    Dr Chales-Davis is a medical practitioner and founder of 25 doctors, a platform where you can get health information and chat with doctors online

  • Bayelsa investigates suspected outbreak of monkeypox virus

    Bayelsa investigates suspected outbreak of monkeypox virus

    The Bayelsa Government is investigating suspected cases of monkeypox outbreak in its communities, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, has said.

    Etebu spoke in Yenagoa on Wednesday following reports that some 11 persons, including a medical doctor, had been placed on surveillance in Yenagoa.

    Those with the suspected cases had been quarantined at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital ( NDUTH ) , Okolobiri,  Yenagoa Local Government Area.

    The centre was established by Nigerian Centre for Disease Control ( NCDC ) and the epidemiological team of the state Ministry of Health to control the spread of the virus.

    NAN also learnt that NCDC and the epidemiological team were tracing 49 persons, who were in contact with persons suspected to have been infected.

    Etebu said that samples of the virus had been sent to the World Health Organisation laboratory in Dakar for confirmation.

    He described monkeypox as a viral illness caused by a group of viruses that include chickenpox and smallpox.

    The commissioner said the first case was noticed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and subsequent outbreaks in West Africa.

    He said the virus had the Central African and the West African types but that the West African type was  milder and had no records of mortality.

    “Recently in Bayelsa, we noticed a suspected outbreak of monkeypox.

    “It has not been confirmed. We have sent samples to the World Health Organisation reference laboratory in Dakar.

    “When that comes out we will be sure that it is confirmed. But from all indications, it points towards it.

    “As the name implies, the virus was first seen in monkeys but can also be found in all bush animals, such as rats, squirrels and antelopes.

    “The source is usually all animals. It was first seen in monkeys and that is why it is called monkey pox.

    “But every bush animal, such as rats, squirrels, antelopes are involved. So, the secretions from particularly dead animals are highly contagious.. Etebu said.

    He listed the symptoms of monkeypox as severe headache, fever, back pain, among others.

    Etebu said that most worrisome of all the signs were rashes bigger than those caused by chickenpox.

    The commissioner said the rashes were usually very discomforting and spread to the whole body of an infected person.

    “We noticed the first index case from Agbura where somebody was purported to have killed and eaten a monkey and after that the people who are neighbours and families started developing the rashes.

    “We have seen cases from as far as Biseni. We invited the NCDC together with our own epidemiological team from the Bayelsa Ministry of Health.

    “We have been able to trace most of the people who have come in contact with the patients.

    “So far, we have 10 patients and we have created an isolation centre at the NDUTH and most of them are on admission and we are following up the 49 cases that we are suspecting might come down with the illness.

    “As a state we are taking care of all the expenses of all the isolated cases.

    “The disease has an incubation period and it is also self-limiting in the sense that within two to four weeks, you get healed and it confers you with immunity for life.

    “We have mobilised virtually every arsenal at our disposal in terms of sensitising the general public and making them aware by radio programmes, jingles and fliers.

    “So the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has mobilised fully to Bayelsa State. We are on top the situation.” Etebu said.

    NAN