OUTBREAK OF VIRAL MONKEYPOX IN THREE STATES

A viral disease, Monkeypox, has broken out in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, with 13 reported cases.

Three suspected cases of the disease were also reported in Rivers state, and another in Akwa Ibom State.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, and the executive director, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Chinkwe Ihekweazu, called on Nigerians to remain calm as the federal and state epidemiological teams from the health agencies are working vigorously to contain the disease from spreading.

Mr. Ihekweazu said out of the 13 cases reported in Bayelsa, most of them have been discharged, but four are still receiving treatment. No death has been reported.

Monkeypox looks like an extreme case of chickenpox and smallpox, but a little more severe. Vectors of the virus includes squirrels, monkeys and rats.