Dr Kunden Deyin, the state Commissioner for Health, told our reporter on Thursday in Jos that the first case recorded was imported from Port-Harcort, as the victim came in from Rivers for treatment.
‎
According to the commissioner, the infected victim eventually infected his brother and both of them were treated at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos and discharged.

Deyin said that the state’s Epidemiology and Surveilance unit of the ministry are still monitoring the contacts to curtail the spread of the disease.

The commissioner said that the symptoms of monkey pox were similar to that of chicken pox, but more severe. ‎

He said that the disease is primarily transmitted from animal to man while the secondary source of transmission is through human to human contact. ‎‎
‎
Deyin warned that people who kill, touch or cook bush animals, such as rats, squirrels and monkeys were at risk of contracting the disease as they serve as reservoirs of the virus.
‎
He cautioned the public to desist from indulging in such acts.
‎
‎Deyin also called on the public to report any sign of unexplained rashes to the nearest health facility.

He further disclosed that the number of suspected cases has risen from the initial 87 suspected cases on Tuesday to 126 suspected cases.
‎
However, he assured that the ministry is working in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to contain the disease.

The commissioner further cautioned the public to ensure that they imbibe the act of hand washing and maintaining good hygiene as measures of preventing the disease.

Besides, Deyin further cautioned that people should desist from eating uncooked vegetables, raw fish, street foods and ensure that ‎they drink boiled water.

He also called on the public to report cases of diarrhoea and vomiting to the nearest health facility.

Our reporter recalls that the state had recorded five confirmed cases, three deaths from symptoms similar to cholera and 87 cases.

The post Monkey ‎pox: Plateau records 2 positive cases appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

The Commissioner, who stated this while briefing newsmen on Saturday in Kano, disclosed that blood sample of the victim had been sent to Abuja for clinical verification.

He added that, “one of the symptoms of the disease was noticed in the patient, but we are suspecting that the diseases is more of Chickens pox than monkey pox”.

He said the suspected victim has been isolated and put on intensive clinical watch until the result of the sample was received.

“The State also identified 60 people who had contacts with the victims and all of them have been quarantine,” he said.

The Commissioner said that a team has put the entire area where the suspected case was recorded under clinical watch, adding that the state has establishment a special clinic to handle any outbreak.

“For now only 11 States are affected by the monkeypox disease and 94 persons are the victims out of which only six are confirmed.

“The Kano case from Bebeji Local Government is yet to be confirmed. The blood sampling will take three weeks before it is ready,” he said.

The post Monkey pox: Kano Govt. confirms suspected victim appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

The commissioner said in a statement on Wednesday in Yenagoa, that the seven patients had been discharged from the hospital.

Our correspondent reports that the contagious disease broke out three weeks ago in Agbura area of Yenagoa following reports that a family manifested symptoms of monkey pox after eating monkey meat.

He said the six other patients under medical surveillance at the teaching hospital were responding positively to treatment.

“The government has been able to successfully contain the spread of the disease as no new case has been reported in the last few days.

“With the way and manner government deployed its machinery and with the team of dedicated health and medical personnel, monkey pox will soon be fully kicked out of Bayelsa state,” he added.

Iworiso-Markson commended the state Ministry of Health and National Centre for Disease Control for their efforts in containing the disease.

The commissioner also appreciated people in the state for taking preventive measures against further spread of the disease and urged them to maintain healthy lifestyle, environmental and personal hygiene.

According to him, feedback received from various channels in the state indicates that public enlightenment campaign, especially in local languages, have succeeded in alerting people to avoid actions that would further spread the disease.

The post Monkey Pox: 7 patients recover fully in Bayelsa appeared first on NEWSVERGE.

The ministry’s Director of Public Health Services, Dr Okechukwu Ossai, gave the advice when he spoke with our reporter on Tuesday, on measures taken by the ministry to prevent the disease in the state.

Ossai said the ministry had begun sensitisation in local radio and television stations about the disease, its signs and symptoms.

He said that the ministry had also gone ahead to orientate its disease surveillance officers in all the local governments and border areas on the disease.

The orientation, he said include the physical manifestations and signs of the disease.

“At the grassroots, we have alerted our health focal persons to monitor the environment and ensure that no one incubates any strange disease in his or her house,’’ he said.

The director said that personal, family and environmental hygiene especially hand washing, was key and necessary for all residents of the state to observe, to avoid any form of virus or contagious disease.

He said monkey-pox could be contacted through touching the body or body fluid of wild animals, adding that apart from monkeys, antelopes and wild rats could also harbour the virus.

“I will also urge hunters, butchers and those that prepare bush meat from these animals for consumption to be wary.

“However, if the meat from these animals mentioned are cooked very well beyond boiling point, the meat is safe as the virus is destroyed via proper boiling.’’

Health experts explain that Monkey-pox, a virus found in monkeys and other wild animals is, however, rare in humans, adding that it belongs to the same family of Chicken-pox and Small-pox.

The post Monkey-pox: Ministry urges Enugu residents to avoid contact with animals appeared first on NEWSVERGE.