Nigeria has recorded 40 confirmed cases of Monkeypox (Mpox) from 830 suspected cases in the country, saying that no death has been recorded so far, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said.
Meanwhile, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) after a 160% increase in cases this year.
However, the World Health Organisation Nigeria (WHO) Country Representative, Walter Mulombo has disclosed that Nigeria will be receiving some doses of the Mpox vaccine through a donation from the United States Government while stressing that Nigeria is at moderate risk of the disease outbreak.
Speaking on Friday in Abuja at a joint WHO National Mpox briefing with stakeholders and partners, the NCDC Director-General (DG), Jide Idris said the use of two laboratories for confirmation of suspected cases has now become inadequate, necessitating the inclusion of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the African Center for Genomics.
He said the agency is not relenting on its responsibility to keep a tab on the issue, stressing that an Emergency Operations Centre and an Incident Management System have been established since the Mpox was declared a public health emergency of international concern.
This is in addition to impressing State governments on the urgency of establishing their own emergency preparedness and response team’s capabilities and action plans
“Right now we have 40 confirmed cases, out of our 830 suspected cases. We still do not have deaths. We have no deaths at all, which is incredible.
“We’ve met with the state governments and the state Commissioners of Health to let them know that they deserve to establish their emergency preparedness and response teams and capabilities and action plans, which we do with their support, and they are going to do that in conjunction with their various local government areas.
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On the need to increase laboratory capabilities, especially in the South-South, and the South-East areas, he said, “The other area is surveillance. Looking at the number of cases we have in the country, about 40, quite a number of them are in about 12 or 13 states.
A number of them live in the South-South, South-East, some in Lagos, some in Ogun, and up north there.
“We have to beef up our laboratory services, all the cases we have seen so far were confirmed using genomic sequencing in two labs – the National Research Lab in Abuja and Lagos.
“But because of the spread, we need to increase the number of laboratories we’re going to use to test. So we are including the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the African Center for Genomics.”
The NCDC DG stated that there is a need to increase laboratory capabilities, especially in the South-South, and the South-East areas.
“We also know that in our network, quite a number of laboratories have the capacity to do PCR, but they may not be able to test for Mpox.
“So we need to beef up those capabilities, either by training or by supplying them with necessary reagents and consumables. We’ve identified a number of laboratories who are looking into that”, he said.
Speaking on the issue, WHO’s Mulombo noted that the country must not relax its vigilance against the disease even as the country is at a moderate risk of the outbreak.
“Of course, Nigeria is not at high risk, it’s a moderate risk, but we need to continue to remain vigilant because we’ve seen cases reported as far as Europe or Asia, and Nigeria is not safe until this overall event is safe.
“So, we’ll continue to work with the government to strengthen public health measures that are needed to control the outbreak.
Nonetheless, he assured that Nigeria would benefit from a United States donation of the vaccination despite the global short supply of it.
“Well, you’ve heard that Nigeria will be receiving a number of doses of vaccine through donation from the U.S. government. The needs globally are huge.
“The vaccine is in short supply, and the capacity of the current manufacturer cannot meet the global demand unless some kind of intervention is there.
“I’m sure the U.S. government will be able to inform on the date of arrival. We’ve heard from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency representative, the vaccination strategy, which is in line with the recommendation of WHO to target the people at highest risk and those who have the disease and their contacts as well as their workers”.
In a similar development, the Africa CDC has reinforced its declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) after a 160% increase in cases this year.
In a letter dated August 23, 2024, and addressed to all Ministers of Health African Union (AU) member States, Jean Kaseya, the DG of the Africa CDC said from January to August 2024, 17,541 cases and 517 deaths were reported across 16 African Union member States, with a concerning case fatality rate above 3.9%.
As a result, he noted that the Africa CDC’s Emergency Consultative Group, composed of senior scientific experts, recommended the declaration due to the rapid spread of the disease, limited surveillance, and inadequate vaccine access.
The declaration, he added, marks a critical step in controlling the Mpox outbreak, with Africa CDC mobilizing resources and reinforcing laboratory capabilities across the continent.
He however assured that the agency is working closely with WHO, member States, and international partners to enhance preparedness, coordinate response efforts, and secure vaccine supplies.
The agency also called for increased domestic funding HBO and collaboration among African leaders to ensure effective disease management and prevent further spread beyond Africa.
