Statistics from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) have shown that more males are getting infected with Mpox in Nigeria.
According to data uploaded on the NCDC website on Monday, 67% of Mpox cases recorded since January 2024 have been male.
The agency said, “Men are predominantly affected, accounting for approximately 70 percent of 6,001 suspected and confirmed Mpox cases recorded in Nigeria since September 2017, when the first confirmed cases occurred.”
According to the official numbers, 1,031 suspected cases have been recorded throughout 47 local government districts in 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with 67 confirmed cases in 2024.
The report’s age and gender distribution revealed that children under the age of five are the most impacted, followed by those aged 26 to 30, and 46 to 50.
The NCDC stated that men are disproportionately afflicted, accounting for about 70% of the 6,001 suspected and confirmed Mpox cases reported in Nigeria since September 2017, when the first confirmed cases occurred.
However, the NCDC reported that there were no fatalities from the disease in 2024, compared to two and seven deaths in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Children under the age of five had the highest number of confirmed cases in 2024, accounting for 15 of the 64. Monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus.
It may cause a severe rash, swollen lymph nodes, and fever. While most people recover completely, some may develop significant illnesses.
The disease can transmit from animals to humans by intimate contact, respiratory droplets, and infected objects.
Chronicle NG reported that the World Health Organisation recently declared Mpox a global public health emergency.
Although the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the core of the outbreak in Africa, Mpox has been documented in at least 14 other countries.
In an effort to minimise transmission and contain the outbreak, the WHO approved the MVA-BN vaccine as the first Mpox vaccine to be added to its prequalification list on Friday.
The US government has donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos Mpox vaccine to Nigeria.
