Monkey
Pox has caused panic in Bayelsa State with a doctor and several other
people infected with the disease spreading rapidly. A new airborne Ebola-like viral disease, referred to as ‘Monkey
Pox” has hit the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH),
Okolobiri in Yenagoa local council of Bayelsa State.
Consequently, a medical doctor and 10 others have already been
diagnosed of the disease and had been quarantined at the NDUTH in
Okolobiri.
The isolation centre was created by the Nigerian Centre for Disease
Control (NCDC) and the epidemiological team of the state Ministry of
Health to check the spread of the virus.
It was learnt that the NCDC and the epidemiological team were
tracking 49 other suspected cases, who were said to have come in contact
with the infected persons.
When The Guardian visited the hospital, the Public Relations Office declined comments.
But speaking separately, a health professional at the Department of
Internal Medicine and a staff in the Chief Medical Director’s (CMD)
office, who pleaded anonymity, said the ‘monkey pox’ disease was traced
to monkeys and may have originated from hunters in the community.
They said the symptoms of the disease include sweating, cough, general weakness and rashes in the body.
They, however, assured members of the public of quarantine methods
in the hospital facility to prevent the spread of the disease just like
it was done in curtailing the spread of Ebola in the country.
Confirming the development, the state Commissioner for Health,
Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, said samples of the virus had been sent to the
World Health Organisation (WHO) Laboratory in Dakar, Senegal for
confirmation.
He described monkey pox as a viral illness caused by a group of
viruses that include chicken pox and small pox, adding that the first
case was noticed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and
subsequently spread to other West African countries.
Explaining that the virus has the Central African and the West
African types, he said the West African type was milder and has no
records of deaths.
“Recently in Bayelsa State we noticed a suspected outbreak of
monkey pox. It has not been confirmed. We have sent samples to the WHO
reference laboratory in Dakar, Senegal.
“When that comes out we will be sure that it is confirmed. But from all indications, it points towards it,” he said.
Watch a video of the commission of Health in Bayelsa speak:
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