The World Health Organisation, WHO, on Thursday, said Nigeria currently has the highest monkey pox death toll and confirmed cases in Africa.
The organization’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, disclosed this during a virtual press briefing tagged, ‘Road to defeating Meningitis by 2030.’
Moeti said the majority of monkeypox cases are in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ghana.
She said, “For monkeypox, there are now 524 confirmed cases and 12 deaths across 11 African countries.
“The majority of cases are in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ghana. Of the 12 deaths, six occurred in Nigeria, four in Ghana, and two in the Central African Republic.
“Although no single monkeypox vaccine has been administered to any high-risk group in any of the African countries reporting cases, WHO has provided 39,000 test kits to countries, enabling improved testing rates.”
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, the exact reservoir of monkeypox is unknown although African rodents are suspected to play a part in transmission.
According to the last situation report on monkeypox dated August 14 and published by the NCDC, Nigeria had four deaths linked to the disease at the time.
In the report, it said the four deaths were recorded in four states while 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) reported 530 suspected cases of monkeypox in 32 weeks.
“From 1st January to 14th August 2022, Nigeria has recorded 530 suspected cases with 220 confirmed cases (144 male, 76 female) from 29 states – Lagos (35), Ondo (18), Rivers (16), Bayelsa (14), Adamawa (13), Delta (12), Edo (12), FCT (10), Abia (nine), Nasarawa (nine), Anambra (eight), Imo (eight), Ogun (seven), Plateau (six), Taraba (five), Kwara (five), Kano (five), Gombe (four), Cross River (four), Oyo (four), Borno (three), Benue (three), Katsina (three), Kogi (two), Niger (one), Bauchi (one), Akwa Ibom (one), Ebonyi (one) and Osun (one),” the NCDC said.
“Four associated deaths were recorded from four states in 2022 – Delta (one), Lagos (one), Ondo (one), and Akwa Ibom (one).”
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