The Commissioner of Health, Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Dominic Ukpong has said a total of eighteen cases of monkeypox has been reported in the state and one confirmed. Ikpong disclosed this on Friday in a press briefing following the outbreak of monkeypox disease in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of the State.The Commissioner said since the outbreak of the disease, his ministry through its public health department had activated its infectious control procedure to prevent the epidemic and confine it to the affected local government.
He added that Akwa Ibom was at the risk of contracting new cases because the disease was present in the neighboring states.
“Although 10 states are affected: Lagos, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Imo, Enugu and Anambra states with a total number of 93 cases in the country, 59% are from two states: Delta, (28%), and Lagos (26%).
“Since the beginning of the outbreak in 2017, 176 confirmed cases were reported and nine deaths before the outbreak of this year.
“Case fatality in the outbreak has been between 1% and 10%, with most deaths occurring in younger age groups.”
He advised the people to avoid contact with animals that could harbor the virus, including sick or dead animals in areas where monkeypox cases had occurred.
He also called on the people to avoid contact with any material that had been in contact with a sick animal, and to isolate the potentially infected animal from other animals.
Source: Dailypost
