FG Tighten Border Security Over Monkeypox Outbreak
The Federal Goverment of Nigeria (FGN) has increased strict border control in the country in light of the global monkeypox outbreak.
This much was disclosed by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, on Thursday.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media & External Relations, Tashikalmah Hallah, the Ministry warned of the alarming number of cases of monkeypox in Africa.
“The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, emphasised that the country has intensified monitoring and screening procedures at all entry points in response to the threat of Mpox, Clade 1.
“This Mpox Clade 1 strain has caused fatalities in up to 10 per cent of individuals who have fallen ill in previous outbreaks. He added that the aim is to tackle and mitigate its impact by deploying measures similar to those used during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement read.
The Minister pointed out that, all travellers are hereby mandated to complete an online health declaration before leaving Nigeria.
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The worst hit country in Africa still remains the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), even as the pox ravashes other parts of the continent.
To that effect, a public health emergency was decalred on Tuesday by the Africa Centre for Disease Control.
A new strain of the virus, which first surfaced in September 2023, has now, for the first time, been detected outside the DRC.
The World Health Organisation notes that the new strain of the virus spreads mainly through sexual networks.
2,863 confirmed monkeypox cases and 517 deaths have, so far, been recorded across 13 African countries in 2024 already.
From the start of 2024 till date, Nigeria’s record stands at a total of 39 confirmed cases and zero deaths.
Scientists describe monkeypox as a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease transmitted from animal to humans.
Rodents, squirrels and monkeys are the animals fingered to be the main transmitters of the strain.
