From Isaac Job, Uyo
The Akwa Ibom State Government has said that it has recorded five cases of Monkeypox in some local government areas of the state.
Saturday Sun gathered that a total of 30 samples were collected for diagnosis, where four out of the five cases were confirmed with three males and a female between the ages of two and 41.
The Disease surveillance and notification officer, Samuel Etuk of the state Ministry of Health, had earlier announced the confirmation of the four cases and later confirmed the fifth case. Etuk confirmed the first four cases during the Media Review Meeting organised by the Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-N) in collaboration with the State Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (STBLCP), held in Uyo, the state capital.
On a WhatsApp group, he announced the confirmation of the additional new case.
“Good morning everyone. We have another positive case of Mpox, bringing the tally to five confirmed cases in the state, “ he said.
According to him, the contact tracing for any transmission was conducted while the affected persons had been placed in isolation. He disclosed that 10 community informants had been engaged per ward in the state to work in catchment areas to report to the health facility focal person, who in turn would forward the same to the local government disease surveillance and notification officers for an onward report to the state Ministry of Health. Mpox spreads from animal to animal and is called zoonotic; while man to man is transmitted directly or indirectly through urine, faces, blood, sexual contact, broken skin, eyes, nose, mouth, contact with skin lesions and oral secretions. The disease symptom lasts between five and 21 days of incubation period.