Fear has gripped residents of Yenagoa, the capital of Nigeria's Bayelsa State, following an outbreak of a viral epidemic known as Monkey Pox in the state, with report that 10 persons are already infected.
Authorities in the state were on Wednesday said to be tracking 49 persons alleged to have come into contact with the infected persons.
The victims, according to sources, have been quarantined in an isolation centre created at the Niger Delta University Hospital, NDUTH, Okolobiri, in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state. The isolation centre was reportedly created by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, and the epidemiological team of the state’s Ministry of Health at the ourbreak of the epidemic.
Commissioner reacts
The state Commissioner for Health, Professor Ebitimitula Etebu, while confirming the development, said samples of the virus had been sent to the World Health Organisation, WHO, laboratory in Dakar, Senegal, for confirmation.
He described Monkey Pox as a viral illness caused by a group of viruses that include chicken pox and small pox, noting that the first case was noticed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and subsequently it had outbreaks in the West African region.
Explaining that the virus had the Central African and the West African types, the commissioner said the West African type was milder and had no records of mortality, saying “recently in Bayelsa State, we noticed a suspected outbreak of Monkey Pox.
“It has not been confirmed. We have sent samples to the World Health Organisation, WHO, reference laboratory in Dakar, Senegal. When that comes out we will be sure that it is confirmed.”
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