In Anambra State, there has been a recorded first case of monkeypox.
The victim is a resident of the Anambra East local government area of the State, where he caught the sickness, according to the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike.
He claimed that the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) in Nnewi had isolated a treatment unit where the victim was receiving care.
Since the disease breakout in several regions of the country early this year, according to Obidike, the state’s preparedness and response team has been on high alert.
The state’s preparedness and response team’s surveillance team, he continued, had received information about two suspected cases of monkeypox disease about two weeks ago.
He explained that while one suspect lives in the Anambra East local government area, the other was reported in the Oyi and Onitsha local government areas.
According to him, the two suspicious cases were subsequently isolated, and on Thursday, a positive test result was obtained for the case from the Anambra East local government area.
A few weeks ago, two suspected cases of monkeypox were reported in the local government areas of Anambra East, Onitsha, and Oyi, with the case from Anambra East LGA being confirmed as positive.
“The patient is now being treated and recovered at the isolation unit of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi.
“In light of the above, Governor Charles Soludo immediately declared the incident an outbreak and an emergency preparedness and response committee meeting was immediately convened.
“The meeting was attended by relevant stakeholders including World Health Organisation team and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). They are providing necessary assistance to the state
“Planning for immediate response to the outbreak and surveillance, Laboratory, Case management, Risk Communication and Community Engagement, Infection Prevention and Control and Safe Burial pillars, were activated.”
The state government, according to Obidike, has started training medical staff and emergency response officers in expanded active case search, sample collection, and monkeypox care, as well as increased public awareness.
When locals noticed rashes on their skin, he urged them not to worry and to go to the hospital for a comprehensive evaluation.
The patient will be transported to one of our isolation centres for treatment once it has been determined at the hospital. All of the state’s isolation centres have been activated.
“As we work to control this monkeypox outbreak in the state, we implore the populace to maintain their composure and safety. We will triumph once more, he continued.
Dr. Adamu Abdulnasir, WHO’s Anambra State Coordinator, also spoke, stating that the agency would assist the nation in outbreak response, surveillance, and capacity building.
The WHO has provided assistance in the areas of sample collecting and transporting the sample to the lab ever since we learned about the two suspected instances. When the results were made public, we managed the case and risks while also tracking down contacts.
“To date, we have identified 41 cases of monkeypox in Nigeria, including one fatality. According to Abdulnasir, the government is taking proactive steps to stop this outbreak and educate the public on how to prevent and protect themselves.
