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Photo: Enugu State Records 1st Case of Monkey Pox + Everything to Know About the Disease

Photo: Enugu State Records 1st Case of Monkey Pox + Everything to Know About the Disease

Residents of Enugu have been gripped by fear after the outbreak of the rare deadly viral disease Monkeypox in the state.

According to Nigerian blogger Amanda Chisom who shared photo of a female victim, the state has just recorded it’s first case of Monkey Pox. She further disclosed that the patient is currently undergoing treatment at UNTH.

Meanwhile, the Enugu State Ministry of Health has urged residents of the state to be wary of touching or coming in contact with wild animals, for self protection against the virus.

READ ALSO: Rare Viral Disease ‘Monkeypox’ Strikes in Bayelsa | Doctor, 10 Others Quarantined

The ministry’s Director of Public Health Services, Dr Okechukwu Ossai, gave the advice when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday, on measures taken by the ministry to prevent the disease in the state, according to Vanguard.

”At the grassroots, we have alerted our health focal persons to monitor the environment and ensure that no one incubates any strange disease in his or her house.

”I will also urge hunters, butchers and those that prepare bush meat from these animals for consumption to be wary.

However, if the meat from these animals mentioned are cooked very well beyond boiling point, the meat is safe as the virus is destroyed via proper boiling.”

Health experts explain that Monkey-pox, a virus found in monkeys and other wild animals is, however, rare in humans, adding that  it belongs to the same family of Chicken-pox and Small-pox.

World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that the infection has been found in many animal species: rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian rats, striped mice, dormice and primates.

Transmission

  • Through direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or handling of infected animals.
  • Eating infected animals is also another risk factor.
  • Human-human transmission is through infected respiratory tract secretions and skin lesions of an infected person or objects recently contaminated by patient fluids or lesion materials.

Signs and symptoms of the disease include:

Fever, Headache, Muscle aches, Backache, Swollen lymph nodes, Chills, Exhaustion. These signs occur between 0 – 5 days of contracting the disease.

See Also

After about 1 – 3 days of appearance of fever, the patient begins to develop rashes which starts from the face and spreads to several parts of the body.

READ ALSO: ALERT! Monkeypox Spreads From Bayelsa to Rivers and Akwa Ibom States

Here are some ways to prevent its spread:

  • Avoid contact with animals that could harbor the virus (including animals that are sick or that have been found dead in areas where monkeypox occurs).
  • Avoid contact with any materials, such as bedding, that has been in contact with a sick animal.
  • Isolate infected patients from others who could be at risk for infection.
  • Practice good hand hygiene after contact with infected animals or humans. For example, washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Use personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients.

READ ALSO: Monkeypox Hits Lagos! Two Suspected Cases Recorded

Treatment

There is no proven treatment for the disease, however, smallpox vaccine, antivirals, and vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) can be used in controlling its spread.

Please do well to report any of the above symptoms to the nearest appropriate medical centre.

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