Sodiq Ojuroungbe In response to a new, more virulent strain of monkeypox (mpox) which has been discovered in some African countries, the Federal Government has implemented a stringent health screening protocol for incoming international travellers. This measure, announced by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention aims to curb the spread of the Clade Ib subclade of monkeypox, which has been increasingly impacting several African nations. The new variant of monkeypox started ravaging African countries especially DR Congo in September 2024.
Nine days ago, the World Health Organisation said it was considering convening an expert committee to advise on whether to declare an international emergency, as it did during the global mpox outbreak in 2022. The Centre for Diseases Control in Africa described mpox as an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over fever and swollen lymph nodes.
According to the health body, at least 16 countries of the continent’s 55 nations have been hit by the disease. The data from Africa CDC revealed that 38,465 cases and 1,456 deaths have been reported in Africa since January 2022. Of these, 887 cases and five deaths were reported last week.
Reacting to the widespread of the infectious disease, the federal government on the Federal Ministry of Health’s website directed international traveller.