This came as it activated Monkeypox Emergency Operations
Centre to strengthen in-country preparedness and contribute to the global
response.
The NCDC, in a statement late Sunday night by its Director
General, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, mentioned the nine states as Adamawa with five
cases, Lagos with four cases, Bayelsa and Delta, Cross River, FCT and Kano with
two cases each while Imo and Rivers states with one case, respectively.
“This year, as at 29th May 2022, a total of 21 confirmed
cases with one death have been reported from 9 states and the FCT
“The death was reported in a 40-year-old patient who had
underlying co-morbidity and was on immunosuppressive medications. Genomic
surveillance is ongoing at NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory in Abuja and so
far all of the cases have been confirmed to be caused by West Africa clade
Monkeypox virus,”the statement read.
“On 26th May 2022, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
and Prevention (NCDC) activated a national multi-sectoral Emergency Operations
Centre for Monkeypox (MPX-EOC) at level 2 to strengthen and coordinate ongoing
response activities in-country while contributing to the global response.
“This was based on the report of a preliminary risk
assessment done by a group of Subject Matter Experts from the NCDC, relevant
government Ministries Departments and Agencies and partner agencies,”it said.
According to the agency,” The May 2022 Monkeypox situation
report can be assessed via it official website
“Among the 21 cases reported in 2022 so far, there has been
no evidence of any new or unusual transmission of the virus, nor changes in its
clinical manifestation documented (including symptoms, profile and
virulence),”it added.
The NCDC explained that,”Prior to the activation of the
MPX-EOC, a multi-agency Technical Working Group (TWG) coordinated at the NCDC
led Nigeria’s efforts to improve the detection, prevention and control of
Monkeypox.”
The statement read further:” Nigeria’s national surveillance
system, the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System
(SORMAS) was first deployed in response to the 2017 Monkeypox outbreak to
improve the timeliness and completeness of case reporting, as well as
facilitate the overall response (access relevant publication here - http://hdl.handle.net/10033/622144).
In addition, this pilot project informed the nationwide scale-up of SORMAS to
enable real-time reporting of surveillance data for prompt public health
response to infectious disease outbreaks including COVID-19.
“Following the detection of the index case on September 22,
2017 and the effective containment of the 2017 outbreak in Nigeria, the NCDC
through the Monkeypox TWG worked on various interventions to gain a better
understanding of the epidemiology of the virus to inform preparedness and response
in-country (access NCDC-affiliated Monkeypox publications via https://ncdc.gov.ng/research).
“The TWG coordinated the development of national Monkeypox
guidelines, capacity building of healthcare workers and surveillance officers
on case detection, sample collection, laboratory testing for confirmation and
sequencing of the virus at NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory and intensified
public awareness through risk communication.
The national Monkeypox response guidelines can be accessed
via – https://ncdc.gov.ng/themes/common/docs/protocols/96_1577798337.pdf.
“Furthermore, a national One-health risk surveillance and
information sharing (NOHRSIS) group has been inaugurated to facilitate timely
information exchange on all prioritised zoonotic diseases. NOHRSIS will also
strengthen the collaborative efforts of the One health/IHR Unit at the Point of
Entry to intensify surveillance for the disease in animals as well as ensure
minimal contact with suspected animals.
“In addition, the One Health Animal Surveillance team
including Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal
Ministry of Environment, National Veterinary Research Institute and partners
commenced operational research on Monkeypox virus prevalence in small mammals
at the human-animal interface since October 2018. This research has been
completed in 7 states with a planned roll out in all other states to commence
soon.
“Although Nigeria’s risk of exposure to the Monkeypox virus
is high based on the recent risk assessment conducted at NCDC, the current
situation in-country and globally has shown no significant threat to life or
the community that can result in severe disease or high case fatality rate. The
EOC will continue to monitor the evolving situation to inform public health
action accordingly.
“Symptoms of monkeypox include sudden fever, headache, body
pain, weakness, sore throat, enlargement of glands (lymph nodes) in the neck
and under the jaw, followed by the appearance of a rash (often solid or
fluid-filled at the onset) on the face, palms, soles of the feet, genitals and
other parts of the body.
The Monkeypox public health advisory can be accessed via –
https://ncdc.gov.ng/news/367/public-health-advisory-on-monkeypox.
“The NCDC emphasises that members of the public should
remain aware of the risk of Monkeypox and adhere to public health safety
measures – specifically, report to the nearest health facility if you notice
the known signs and symptoms of the disease.
Healthcare workers are to maintain a high index of suspicion
for Monkeypox and report any suspected case to the relevant state Epidemiology
Team for prompt public health intervention including sampling for confirmatory
testing.”