The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported 39 confirmed cases of mpox and zero deaths across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) since the beginning of 2024.
The announcement was made by the NCDC Director General, Dr. Jide Idris, during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
The mpox outbreak has also led the Africa Centre for Disease Control to declare a public health emergency due to the increasing spread of the virus across the continent, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The outbreak has expanded beyond the DRC, with 2,863 confirmed cases and 517 deaths reported in 13 African countries in 2024 alone.
In Nigeria, the states with the highest number of confirmed mpox cases include Bayelsa, Cross River, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, and Ebonyi.
Dr. Idris reiterated the need for heightened coordination and communication to manage the spread of the virus, particularly given the ease of cross-border transmission.
Mpox is a zoonotic disease, transmitted from animals to humans, with symptoms including fever, headache, body aches, weakness, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that spreads across the body.
The NCDC says it has intensified surveillance across Nigeria, placing all port health services on high alert and conducting contact tracing to prevent further spread.
Dr. Idris also provided an update on the cholera outbreak in Nigeria, which has resulted in 5,951 suspected cases and 176 deaths as of August 11, 2024.
He said the outbreak has affected all 36 states and the FCT, with a case fatality rate of 3.0%. The most affected age group is children under five years old.
The NCDC attributes the cholera outbreak to high rates of open defecation, which contaminates water sources.
