Monrovia – The National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) has refuted recent media reports claiming the confirmation of six Mpox cases in Sinoe County. By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected] Earlier on Tuesday, local media reported that the Sinoe County Health Team had identified suspected cases of the Monkeypox virus in the county’s second electoral district.
The reports quoted local health officials as saying that a team of health practitioners had been dispatched to District #2 to assess the suspected cases. In a statement, NPHIL welcomed media collaboration in raising awareness to prevent the spread of Mpox in Liberia. However, the institute clarified that Dr.
Dougbeh Chris Nyan, its Director-General, is the official spokesperson for NPHIL, and urged media outlets to verify information with him before publication. NPHIL recently disclosed that Liberia has confirmed Mpox cases in three counties since the beginning of this year. This revelation followed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) announcement of a Mpox outbreak in several countries across the WHO African Region, particularly in Central and West Africa.
The WHO has declared Mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR). In light of the WHO’s announcement, NPHIL has urged the public to take preventive measures, including regular hand-washing, avoiding sexual contact with individuals suspected of having Mpox symptoms, avoiding close contact with suspected cases, avoiding contact with animals, and promptly reporting to the nearest medical facility if any Mpox symptoms are experienced or observed. Mpox is caused by the Monkeypox virus, which belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox.
It can be transmitted through direct skin-to-skin contact, sexual contact involving bodily fluids or lesions around the anus, rectum, or vagina from an infected person, and through respiratory secretions and droplets, among other means. Symptoms of Mpox include fever, chills, headache, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, and more..
