The Anambra State Government said it has concluded arrangement to establish a laboratory to diagnose cases of monkeypox and other contagious diseases aimed at lessening the time of getting results for disease investigations.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday, in Awka, adding that the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) are assisting the state to activate the laboratory.

Obidike expressed concern that NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory in Abuja was the only facility in the country with the capacity to diagnose monkeypox cases, describing the situation as unfortunate.

He said the laboratory is situated at the Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku, Awka, for easy and quick analysis.

The commissioner, however, revealed that the state has, so far, recorded three suspected cases of monkeypox detected by the disease surveillance units in the local councils.

He described monkeypox as a viral infection and urged residents to be careful and report symptoms such as unusual body rashes, fever and headaches, to the hospital.

He said there is no definite treatment and they just manage the symptoms to prevent any other secondary bacteria infection, mortality or morbidity that could occur from there.

Continuing, he said: “We are able to detect the first case, and in conjunction with WHO, it was confirmed. For the second case, the result is not out, while we are yet to get the sample of the third case across to the lab in Abuja.

“We have a massive laboratory at COOUTH and we are discussing with WHO and NCDC to activate it. It is in the final stages in terms of needed reagents for testing.”