Akwa Ibom Records 5 Mpox Cases

Akwa Ibom State government has said five cases of Monkey Pox (Mpox) have been reported in some local government areas of the state.

An official in charge of Disease Surveillance and Notification at the State Ministry of Health, Samuel Etuk, who had earlier announced four cases, said the number has increased to five.

Etuk confirmed the first four cases during a media review meeting organised by Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-N) in collaboration with the State Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (STBLCP), in Uyo.

“We have another positive case of Mpox bringing the tally to five confirmed cases in the state,” he stated, adding that contact-tracing for any transmission was conducted while the affected persons had been placed on isolation.

He explained that 10 community informants had been engaged in each of the 368 political wards to work in catchment areas, who would report to the health facility focal person who in turn would forward same to the local government disease surveillance and notification officers for onward report to the Ministry of Health.

Urging people to be guided, Etuk explained that Mpox spread from animal to animal through what he called zoonotic process, while man to man is transmitted directly or indirectly through urine, faeces, blood, sexual contact, broken skin, eyes, nose, mouth, contact with skin lesions and oral secretions.

It was gathered that a total of 30 samples were collected for diagnosis where the initial four cases were confirmed including three males and a female – two, four, 12 and 41 years of age respectively.