The Edo State Government has reported one confirmed case of Mpox and eight suspected cases of cholera within the state.
Dr. Ojeifo Stephenson, the state’s Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, shared this information with Channels Television on Saturday. He noted that since January, the state government has implemented proactive measures to raise awareness and educate the public on the importance of promptly reporting to the nearest designated health facilities if symptoms arise.
“From January until now, we’ve identified 11 suspected cases in Edo State,” Dr. Stephenson said. “We receive alerts whenever a suspected case is reported, and we immediately mobilize our team to collect samples and conduct contact tracing.”
He explained that contacts—those who have had direct exposure to a suspected case—are monitored throughout the virus’s incubation period. Out of the 11 suspected cases, eight were non-reactive, while three were confirmed positive.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has revealed that children aged 0-5 years are the most affected by the Mpox outbreak in Nigeria this year. Of the 48 confirmed cases recorded nationwide, the majority involve young children.
Mpox is known to spread easily through contact with infected individuals or contaminated materials. According to an NCDC report, during week 34 (August 19-25), eight new confirmed cases were reported across five states, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in 2024 to 48.
The data shows that 57 new suspected cases were reported in week 34, compared to 25 in the previous week. Additionally, eight confirmed cases were reported in week 34, up from one the week before. So far, 20 states, along with the FCT, have recorded at least one confirmed case across 35 Local Government Areas in 2024.