Kano sends blood sample of suspected Monkeypox victim to Senegal for confirmation

…Just as victim establishes contacts with 60 persons

The victim of a suspected monkeypox case in Kano has established contacts with no fewer than 60 persons in Bebeji Local Government area of the State before and after the discovery as confirmed through the findings of the investigation team who were swiftly dispatched to the area when the story filtered out on Thursday.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Kabiru Ibrahim Getso, while confirming the suspected case of the monkeypox to newsmen on Saturday, said contrary to a rumour that the victim absconded hospital, he had been quarantined at an isolated facility at Yar-Gaya and his blood sample was collected and sent to Abuja en route Dakar in Senegal for confirmation in the next 3 weeks.

The Commissioner ruled out the possibility of the victim contracting the suspected disease from other affected States in some part of the country, claiming that the victim, according to the investigation, had no history of travelling in the recent time except the fact that he had contact with about 60 persons in his area before and after he was admitted.

Dr Getso assured the general public that the State Ministry of Health is on top of the situation by activating the isolation center, procurement of the needed drugs and sensitization of health workers on monkeypox among other measures to curtail the situation, therefore cautioning the state residents against unnecessary panic, rather they should prioritize personal hygiene.