Mpox case confirmed in Cross River

A monkeypox (Mpox) case has been confirmed in the Okoshe community in Obudu Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Egbe Ayuk, disclosed this on Sunday to newsmen in Calabar, the state capital.

He said that a report from the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja had confirmed a case of Mpox from Obudu in Cross River State.

Dr. Ayuk further noted that his ministry was notified on Monday, August 19, of a presumptive diagnosis of Mpox or Chickenpox by the state epidemiologist of Ebonyi.

“A sample was then sent to the national reference lab from there. The result returned on Saturday, 24th August 2024, positive for Mpox and negative for Chickenpox.

“The case, a female, is from Okoshe village in Obudu Local Government Area. She was at Federal Medical Centre, Abakaliki, to access care,” he added.

The commissioner said that an investigation into her travel history is ongoing to ascertain what took her primarily to Ebonyi, as there is no medical history or referral from Obudu.

“While the investigation of the travel history of the case is ongoing, the state government is responding actively to mitigate any outbreak in Obudu,” he assured.

Ayuk said he has directed the Mpox Emergency Operation Center to be activated immediately, with the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Ekpo Ekpo, as the Incident Manager.

He also directed that mitigation activities by the Obudu Local Government Area response team, with support from the state team, commence immediately.

Some of these mitigation measures, the Commissioner mentioned, include line-listing of symptomatic contacts, quarantine of close/symptomatic contacts at General Hospital Sankwala in Obanliku, sample collection from symptomatic contacts, immediate movement of samples to the state hub, sensitisation on preventive measures and awareness at churches, schools, and communities, and the immediate movement of commodities to General Hospital Sankwala, among others.

As a long-term measure to check any spread of the disease, the Commissioner explained that plans are underway for monthly financial support to surveillance teams in the LGAs for active case searches at health facilities and communities across the state, along with supportive supervision by the state and LGA teams.

There will also be the establishment and equipping of isolation wards in all government hospitals, the positioning of case management teams, the provision of infection prevention and control commodities in all LGAs, and health promotion and advocacy on personal hygiene.