The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said that out of 61 suspected cases of monkeypox, as of Sunday, May 29, 21 cases had been confirmed, with one death.

It said there were five cases in Adamawa, four in Lagos, two in Bayelsa, two in Delta, two in Cross River, two in the Federal Capital Territory, two in Kano, one in Imo and one in Rivers.

The NCDC said the patient who died was 40 years old. It did not say where the patient lived but said the person had underlying co-morbidity and was on immunosuppressive medications. .

RNI spoke to residents in Maiduguri about the outbreak.

Muhammad Bukar said: “I don’t know of any disease called monkeypox but I’m aware of Lassa fever, the Omicron variant and COVID-19, but not this.”

“I have heard of the disease but I have never seen or known anyone who has it. I hope it will not spread down here to us,” Mustapaha Abubakar, a resident of Ngomari, a village in Borno State, said.

A woman, who gave her name as Fatima, said: “I have never seen anyone with the disease. So, to me it does not exist and I don’t believe in it.”

Dr Yakubu Muhammad El-Yakub from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital told RNI reporter Aisha Jamal that monkeypox was first identified in 1958 and was believed to have been spread to humans from monkeys.

“Monkeypox is an old disease which originated from monkeys and through some interaction spread to humans. It is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus.”

He said people became infected with the monkeypox virus through contact with the bodily fluids of infected animals or humans – dead or alive – including respiratory droplets or through contact with materials contaminated with the virus.

He said: “Monkey pox is a dangerous disease. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, body pain, weakness and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a rash.”

Monkeypox was fatal in as many as 3% to 6% of people who become infected. It was thought that prior vaccination against smallpox might provide protection against monkeypox. Young children were more at risk of severe illness and death.

El-Yakub said efforts should be made by authorities and the public to avoid the wider spread of the disease.

“The first step to be observed is to make the public aware of the virus. A clean environment is essential and people must wash their hands frequently and wear gloves if necessary.

“Hunters should be very careful dealing with the animals they come across. If they show any symptoms resembling monkeypox, they should immediately report to the nearest hospital or clinic.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said recent cases of monkeypox had been reported among US travellers returning from Lagos and Ibadan.

It warned travellers to Nigeria to avoid contact with sick people, animals such as rodents and non-human primates – monkeys and chimpanzees – products that came from wild animals, including wild game, and contaminated materials, such as that used by sick people or animals.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the virus was transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials, such as bedding.

It said the clinical presentation of monkeypox resembled that of smallpox, a related orthopoxvirus infection that was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980. Monkeypox was less contagious than smallpox and cause less severe illness.

The WHO said the invasion period lasted between 0 and five days, characterised by fever, intense headache, swelling of the lymph nodes, back pain, muscle aches and intense lack of energy. Swelling of the lymph nodes was a distinctive feature of monkeypox compared with other diseases that might initially appear similar, such as chickenpox, measles and smallpox.

The skin eruption usually began within one to three days of the appearance of fever. The rash tended to be more concentrated on the face and extremities rather than on the trunk. It affected the face (in 95% of cases) and palms of the hands and soles of the feet (in 75% of cases). Also affected were oral mucous membranes (in 70% of cases), genitalia (30%), and conjunctivae (20%), as well as the cornea.

The agency said monkeypox was usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from two to four weeks. Severe cases occurred more commonly among children and were related to the extent of virus exposure, the patient’s health status and the nature of complications. Underlying immune deficiencies could lead to worse outcomes.

AISHA SD JAMAL