The Osun State Government, on Monday, said two confirmed cases of monkeypox otherwise known as Mpox had been recorded in the Ilesa West Local Government Area of the state.
The government said the two cases are male, aged five and 25, and are currently on admission at the State Hospital in Ilesa West.
The state Commissioner for Health, Mr Jola Akinola, who made the disclosure, urged the residents not to panic, as he assured them that the government is actively managing the situation.
A statement by the Information Officer, Ministry of Health, Segilola Babalola, said the commissioner spoke on the mpox situation during a meeting of the Monkeypox Emergency Operations Centre pillar held in Osogbo, the state capital.
Akinola said, “We successfully managed COVID-19 and prevented a cholera outbreak. Now, with two confirmed mpox cases, the EOC has been activated, and stakeholders will meet every Monday to strategise on preventing the spread of the virus.
“There is no cause for alarm. Our officers are fully prepared, and just as we prevented cholera, we will also prevent the spread of mpox.”
Also speaking at the meeting, the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Public Health, Dr Akindele Adekunle, commended the partners working with the state for their support, noting that the governor remained committed to sustaining the state’s proactive measures.
Giving further details about the mpox situation in the state, the State Epidemiologist, Dr Omolola Adeagbo, said a total of “47 suspected cases were recorded from EPI Week 1 to Week 34 across 13 Local Government Areas.
“All 47 samples were sent to the laboratory with two confirmed cases, both involving male patients aged 5 and 25 from Ilesa West.”
Adeagbo said actions taken to prevent the spread included “the deployment of Rapid Response Team members to the field, advocacy and sensitisation efforts in the Ogbon Alafia community and at the index cases’ residences, as well as community active case search and retroactive health facility search.”
