Mpox: WHO Says Nigeria At Moderate Risk As NCDC Confirms 40 Cases

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed 40 cases of Mpox out of 830 suspected cases reported across the country.

The director-general of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed this at a press briefing on Friday in Abuja, noted that the confirmed cases were spread across 12 to 13 States of the Federation, with significant numbers in the South-South, South-East, Lagos, Ogun, and some states in the North.

He, therefore, said that the NCDC planned to focus efforts on the states to reduce the number of cases.

“We currently have 40 confirmed cases out of 830 suspected ones. Thankfully, there have been no deaths, which is remarkable,” Dr. Idris stated.

He also expressed the NCDC’s efforts to enhance laboratory services to improve testing capacity. “All the confirmed cases were identified through genomic sequencing conducted in two laboratories: the National Research Lab in Abuja and another in Lagos. However, due to the spread of the virus, we are expanding the number of laboratories involved in testing, including NIMA, LUTH, and the African Center for Genomics,” he explained.

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Dr. Idris emphasised the importance of boosting laboratory capabilities, particularly in the South-South and South-East regions, noting that while many laboratories in the network can perform PCR testing, they may lack the capacity to test specifically for Mpox.

The NCDC planned to address this by providing necessary training, reagents, and consumables, he added.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has assessed Nigeria’s risk level for Mpox as moderate, not high.

WHO country representative in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, underscored the need for continued vigilance and monitoring of the microbes responsible for the disease.

He said: “So, we were able to show the picture in Africa, also outside Africa, where we have observed already cases in Europe and now in Asia. And of course, Nigeria is not at high risk, it’s at moderate risk, but we need to continue to remain vigilant because we have cases reported as far as Europe or Asia and Nigeria is not safe until this overall event is safe.”

He reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting the Nigerian government in strengthening public health measures to control the outbreak.