By Dare Akogun
The Kwara State Government has confirmed the first case of monkey pox in the state.
The case, according to a statement issued in Ilorin on Thursday by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Raji Razaq, followed a rigorous efforts of the Surveillance and Response Team that had been activated since the index case was reported in the country in March, 2022.
According to him “The first confirmed case in Kwara State 1 a 29-year-old Nigerian driver who developed symptoms of fever, generalised rash, and weakness in the last two weeks and had been under our surveillance.
“There were contacts with the wife and four neighbours with similar symptoms where he lives at Gbugbu in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, all of which have been resolved by the health team,” the statement read.
The commissioner said the patient has been on admission in the last one week because of suspicion of monkey pox and has also been under strict monitoring by the surveillance and clinical team.
“Currently, the patient is improving and stable in the ward. The government’s team has similarly begun health facility and community case search/contact tracing.
“The team will also intensify continuous public and community sensitization on the disease and its symptoms for public education and control. There is also ongoing training and retraining of health workers to strengthen our response to the development,” it stated.
Dr. Razaq, who said the Ministry has notified the appropriate agencies, especially the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, of the development, implored members of the public to step up efforts at personal and community hygiene to fight the disease together with government.
