Posts
….Records three cases
Lagos State Government Friday said it has received three cases of monkey pox in the past one month, urging the residents to intensify and maintain adequate personal and environmental hygiene at all times as part of precautionary measures to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases.
Hence, the government strongly warned residents to observe the highest possible standards of personal and environmental hygiene especially through regular washing of hands with soap and running water and attention to environmental exposure.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who gave the warning, said that three suspected cases of monkey pox were reported by health facilities in the past one month noting that the cases were positive for Monkey Pox as revealed by reports of laboratory investigation.
Speaking during the biosecurity update meeting on the situation report of Monkey Pox disease in the state, the Commissioner gave details about the recent report of the disease in the state, saying there was need for Lagosians to be conscious and take necessary precautions.
He said: ”The patients were treated at the specialized infectious disease isolation centre of Mainland Hospital, Yaba have since recovered and have been discharged. The close contacts and family members of these cases were actively monitored for 21 days for any development of signs and symptoms of monkey pox and none of these contacts develop any symptoms.”
He explained that the State Epidemiology and the Monkey Pox focal persons from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has earlier carried out sensitization for clinicians and community members in some local government areas of the state three months ago to increase awareness and reporting of any suspected case.
The Commissioner explained Monkey Pox is a rare viral infection of animals which can be transmissible to man and caused by Monkey Pox virus noting that the symptoms in human is similar to those seen in Chicken Pox patients although less severe. It occurs primarily in Central and West Africa close to tropical rain forest where there is frequent contact with infected animals.
“In the early phase of the disease, patients usually present with fever, swelling of lymph nodes, back pain, intense headache, muscle pain and lack of energy while in the late phase, skin rashes or lesion with a flat base develops between three days after the onset of fever which later form small fluid filled blisters. This fluid later become pus and then crust in about 10 days,” he explained.
No comments