Cross River State has recorded its first confirmed case of mpox following a diagnosis in Okoshe village in Obudu local government area of the state. The case was confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja, according to a statement released on Sunday by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Egbe Ayuk. Ayuk disclosed that the state’s Ministry of Health was initially notified of a presumptive diagnosis of either mpox or chickenpox by the Ebonyi State epidemiologist.
“A sample was then sent to the national reference lab, and the result returned on Saturday, 24th August 2024, positive for mpox and negative for chickenpox,” Ayuk disclosed. The patient, a female resident of Okoshe village, had sought medical attention at the Federal Medical Centre in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State’s capital. Authorities are currently investigating her travel history to understand the potential origin of the infection.
“While the investigation of the travel history of the case is ongoing, the state government is responding actively to mitigate any outbreak in Obudu,” Ayuk added. In response to the confirmed case, Ayuk has ordered the immediate activation of the mpox Emergency Operation Centre. The Commissioner also appointed the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Ekpo Ekpo as the incident manager to lead the response efforts.
The Obudu LGA response team, supported by the state team, has been directed to begin mitigation efforts immediately. These efforts include identif.