Monkeypox: Nigeria confirms 15 new cases as men account for over 50% of infections

Nigeria said a total of 172 Monkeypox infections and four deaths have been recorded so far in 2022.

The latest situation report, which was released on Sunday by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), noted that more than 50% of cases have been recorded in men.

The report further shows that of the 172 cases reported from January 1 to August 7, males accounted for 115 cases, which supports the claim of the World Health Organization (WHO) that the latest outbreak is high in men.

But unlike the WHO, which has claimed infections are primarily in men who have sex with men, especially in non-endemic countries, the NCDC is not specific in its report.

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The WHO technical lead for Monkeypox, Rosamund Lewis, said men who have sex with men are currently the group most at risk of infection, indicating that around 99% of cases are men and that at least 95% of these patients are men who have sex with men.

In July, the WHO declared a global health emergency in response to the outbreak as cases rose rapidly.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 31,799 monkey cases have been reported in 89 countries as of August 12, 2022.

NCDC Status Report

In the latest situation report covering the period August 1-7, NCDC recorded 60 new suspected cases, adding that 15 were recorded in nine states and the FCT.

The distribution of cases shows that Imo State came out on top with three cases, followed by FCT (2), Ondo (2), Rivers (2), Abia (1), Anambra (1), Ebonyi (1), Edo (1), Ogun (1) and Nasarawa (1)

Overall, since the re-emergence of monkeypox in September 2017, the NCDC noted that 985 suspected cases have been reported in 35 states across the country and 398 of that number representing 40.4% have been confirmed (263 males, 135 females ) of 30 states.

The Center for Disease Control added that 12 deaths have been recorded since September 2017 in nine states: Lagos (3), Edo (2), Imo (1), Cross River (1), FCT (1), Rivers (1), Ondo (1) Delta (1) and Akwa Ibom (1).

He assured that "efforts are underway to strengthen surveillance at national and subnational levels, to increase awareness and to detect and respond quickly to the epidemic".

Spread of monkeypox

Before the current outbreak, most cases occurred in countries where the virus is endemic, but the majority of recent cases have been detected in gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men. men, especially in non-endemic countries.< /p>

However, the WHO has stated that anyone can contract the virus and that there is currently no evidence that it is a sexually transmitted disease, but "human-to-human transmission may result close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or recently contaminated objects."

Common symptoms associated with monkeypox are swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.

The CDC recommends that people avoid intimate physical contact with people with a rash resembling monkeypox and consider minimizing sex with multiple or anonymous partners.

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