NCDC confirms monkey pox outbreak with 558 cases, eight deaths 

Following a report by the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) that a person in England had been diagnosed with monkey pox, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed circulation of the disease with 558 cases and eight deaths in 32 states of the federation.

The UKHSA said the patient had recently travelled from Nigeria. It said the person is receiving care at the Infectious Disease Unit of Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.

Monkey pox is a rare viral infection, which kills one in every 10 patients, but does not spread swiftly. An epidemiological summary on the ailment published Tuesday by the NCDC, pointed out that since September 2017, Nigeria has continued to report sporadic cases of the disease, with a National Technical Working Group (TWG) monitoring infections and strengthening preparedness/response capacity.

The centre said 46 suspected infections were reported between January 1 and April 30 this year in addition to 15 confirmed cases from seven states –Adamawa (three), Lagos (three), Cross River (two), Abuja (two), Kano (two), Delta (two) and Imo (one) – but no death had been recorded.

The NCDC said eight deaths have been recorded with Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) of 3.3 per cent in six states – namely Edo (two), Lagos (two), Imo (one), Cross River (one), FCT (one) and Rivers (one) – from September 2017 to April 30, 2022.

“The UKHSA confirmed case is the seventh in Britain. The disease was first detected in the UK in 2018 after another traveller brought the virus back from Nigeria and spread to two other people, including one NHS nurse, who caught it from bed linen.

It is usually a mild self-limiting illness and most people recover within a few weeks, but severe illness could occur in some individuals.

Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections, UKHSA, Dr. Colin Brown, said: “It is important to emphasise that monkey pox does not spread easily between people, and the overall risk to the general public is very low.”