Monkeypox outbreak hits Nigeria

“As the name implies, the virus was first seen in monkey, but can also be found in all bush animals such as rats, squirrels and antelopes.’’

A NEW virus suspected to be Monkeypox has hit Nigeria as an 11 year old boy patient infected with the virus was presented at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Yenago in Bayelsa State.

According to a press release from the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, the agency was notified on the 22nd of September of a case of suspected Monkeypox in an 11 year old boy in Bayelsa State and 11 other cases which are currently receiving medical treatment. 

11 Year old Boy with the Human Monkey-Pox

Further the NCDC said that another 32 dose contacts of the cases have been identified, advised and closely monitored.

The NCDC said it has deployed a Rapid Response Team to support the Bayelsa State government for further investigations and public health response to the outbreak.

Bayela State Commissioner for Health, Professor Ebitimitula Etebu who confirmed the epidemic said that samples of the virus had been sent to the World Health Organisation laboratory in Dakar, Senegal for further confirmation.

He said that monkeypox is a viral illness caused by a group of viruses that include chicken pox and small pox.

He said the virus was first noticed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and later started breaking out in the West African region.

The commissioner added that the virus had the Central African and the West African types -”the West African type is milder and has no records of mortality”, he said.

“Recently in Bayelsa State, we noticed a suspected outbreak of monkeypox. It has not been confirmed. We have sent samples to the World Health Organisation reference laboratory in Dakar, Senegal.’’

“When that comes out we will be sure that it is confirmed. But from all indications, it points towards it.

“As the name implies, the virus was first seen in monkey, but can also be found in all bush animals such as rats, squirrels and antelopes.’’

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“The source is usually all animals. It was first seen in monkeys and that is why it is called monkeypox. But every bush animals such as rats, squirrels, antelopes are involved. So, the secretions from particularly dead animals are highly contagious.”

According to Etebu, the symptoms of monkeypox are severe headache, fever, back pains amongst other symptoms, adding that most worrisome of all the signs were rashes bigger than those caused by chicken pox.

Speaking on the outbreak of the virus in the state he said, “We noticed the first index case from Agbura where somebody was purported to have killed and eaten a monkey and after that the people who are his neighbours and family members started developing the rashes.

“We have seen cases from as far as Biseni. We invited the NCDC together with our own epidemiological team from the Bayelsa Ministry of Health. We have been able to trace most of the people who have come in contact with the patients.

“So far, we have 10 patients and we have created an isolation centre at the NDUTH and most of them are on admission and we are following up the 49 cases that we are suspecting may come down with the illness. As a state we are taking care of all the expenses of all the isolated cases.

“The disease has an incubation period and it is also self-limiting in the sense that within two to four weeks, you get healed and it confers you with immunity for life.

“We have mobilised virtually every arsenal at our disposal in terms of sensitising the general public and making them aware by radio programmes, jingles and fliers.

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Also, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has mobilised fully to Bayelsa State. We are on top of the situation.

He urged the public to observe hand hygiene and ensure they don’t come in contact with dead animals and their secretions, adding that the disease is airborne very infectious.

“People should wash their hands whenever they go in or come out of their houses. If they touch with animals, they should ensure that they wash their hands.

Etebu further advised people to be vigilant and to report any similar cases to the relevant authorities.

“A lot of people have come down with the symptoms but they are hiding in their houses. If theyhide, there is the propensity for the infection to spread’’, he emphasised.

Meanwhile the NCDC has said that Monkeypox infection is a relatively rare disease that has previously been reported in Nigeria in the 1970s. It is primarily a Zoonotic infection i.e. transmitted primarily from animals to humans, with limited subsequent person-to-person transmission. The most common animal hosts are squirrels, rats and sometimes, monkeys. The Monkeypox virus can cause an illness with the following symptoms; a generalised vesicular skin rash, fever, and painful jaw swelling.

In previous outbreaks, it has led to death in about 1-10% of infected cases. Although there is no specific medicine to treat the disease, when intensive supportive care is provided most patients recover fully.

Chief Executive Officer of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu has advised that health workers must continue to manage their patients without fear. He advised, “As long as universal infection prevention and control practices are strictly adhered to by all clinical staff, the chances of transmission are minimal.”