The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has confirmed 101 cases of Monkeypox in 2022, its highest figure since 2017 when the disease re-emerged.

The centre, in its latest Monkeypox situation report for week 27, added that no fewer than 301 suspected cases of the disease have been reported in the country.

Monkeypox is a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease transmitted from animals to humans that occur sporadically, primarily in remote villages of Central and West Africa near tropical rainforests.

Nigeria is one of the countries in Africa where the disease is endemic.

The epidemiology report of the viral infection, according to the NCDC, revealed that Nigeria reported 88 cases in 2017; 49 in 2018; 47 in 2019; 8 in 2020, and 34 in 2021, which brings the total number of confirmed cases from 2017 to 2022 to 327.

The epidemiology report of the disease from July 4 to 7, revealed that there were 56 suspected new cases reported from 22 states – broken down into, Katsina (12), Gombe (7), Adamawa (6), Bauchi (5), Bayelsa (3), Ondo (3), Delta (2), Edo (2), Lagos (2), Plateau (2), Abia (1), Anambra (1), Borno (1), Enugu (1), Kaduna (1), Kebbi (1), Kogi (1), Kwara (1), Nasarawa (1), Ogun (1), Oyo (1) and Taraba (1).

The report read in part, “Of 56 suspected cases, there were 17 new confirmed positive cases in week 27, 2022 from 12 states – namely, Ondo (3), Adamawa (2), Bayelsa (2), Delta (2), Anambra (1), Borno (1), Edo (1), Gombe (1), Katsina (1), Kogi (1), Plateau (1) and Lagos (1).

“From January 1 to July 10, 2022, there have now been 301 suspected cases and 101 confirmed cases (65 male, 36 female) from 23 states listed – Lagos (14), Adamawa (11), Delta (9), Nasarawa (7), Edo (7), Bayelsa (7), Rivers (6), Plateau (6), FCT (5), Ondo (5), Cross River (3), Kwara (3), Borno (3), Imo (2), Kano (2), Taraba (2), Anambra (2), Katsina (2), Niger (1), Oyo (1), Ogun (1), Kogi (1) and Gombe (1).

“Three deaths were recorded from 3 states – Delta (1), Lagos (1), and Ondo (1).

“Overall, since the re-emergence of Monkeypox in September 2017 and to July 10, 2022, a total of 813 suspected cases have been reported from 35 states in the country.

“Of these 813 suspected cases, there have been 327 (40.9%) confirmed from 29 states – Rivers (58), Bayelsa (50), Lagos (44), Delta (38), Cross River (17), Edo (17), FCT (11), Adamawa (11), Imo (10), Nasarawa (9), Plateau (9), Akwa Ibom (7), Oyo (7), Ondo (5), Enugu (4), Anambra (4), Abia (3), Kwara (3), Borno (3), Benue (2), Ekiti (2), Kano (2), Niger (2), Ogun (2), Taraba (2), Katsina (2), Ebonyi (1), Gombe (1) and Kogi (1).

“In addition, from September 2017 to July 10, 2022, a total of 11deaths have been recorded (CFR= 3.5%) in six states – Lagos (3), Edo (2), Imo (1), Cross River (1), FCT (1), Rivers (1), Ondo (1) and Delta (1).”

A Medical Laboratory Scientist at the Department of Microbiology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, Obinna Chukwudi, said there was the need for effective control and preventive measures and increased surveillance measures.

Chukwudi said, “One of the reasons we are having increased cases is that we have relaxed so much on the preventive measures used in tackling COVID-19, which has exposed us to so many things we never thought we could practise. People no longer practise any of those non-pharmaceutical protocols, and people no longer wash their hands.

“The cases are community-based and it is coming to the urban area. We have to intensify our awareness campaign. The fact that we have overcome COVID-19 to an extent does not mean that we should relax on our containment measures.”

Also, a Professor of Public Health at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Prof. Tanimola Akande, said the increased Monkeypox cases call for concern and utmost response.

“Nigeria CDC is already educating Nigerians on what to do to control it at various levels. However, this should not be left to the NCDC alone.

“Other stakeholders in disease control particularly as it relates to the 'One Health Approach, need to play active roles at all levels. Unfortunately, vaccines for Monkeypox are not available yet in Nigeria,” Akande said.