Victoria Mgbanwa
The federal government has instructed states to establish emergency preparedness and response teams, with support from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The directive follows a concerning rise in confirmed Mpox cases, which have now reached 40 out of 830 suspected cases nationwide.
As the situation escalates, the United States has announced plans to send doses of Mpox vaccines to Nigeria to help contain the outbreak.
Speaking during a joint NCDC and WHO national Mpox briefing in Abuja on Friday, NCDC Director General Dr. Jide Idris stated that the agency had met with state governors and health commissioners to discuss the urgent need for local response centers.
“Given that we have 40 confirmed cases across 12 to 13 states, with clusters in the South-South, Southeast, Lagos, Ogun, and the northern regions, our strategy is to focus on these areas. By increasing active surveillance, we aim to detect and address more cases,” said Dr. Idris.
He emphasized the need to strengthen laboratory services, revealing that current genomic sequencing efforts are being carried out in two labs—the National Research Lab in Abuja and the Lagos Lab. To improve testing capacity, additional facilities such as the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and the African Centre for Genomics (ACG) will be brought on board.
“We need to enhance laboratory capabilities, particularly in the South-South and Southeast regions. Many laboratories can perform PCR testing but lack the capacity to detect Mpox. We plan to address this by providing training, reagents, and other necessary supplies,” Dr. Idris added.
Public awareness campaigns are also being intensified, with Dr. Idris stressing the importance of educating people on how to protect themselves. “The virus spreads through contact with infected animals or humans. Reducing or eliminating this contact is crucial. Some cases have also been linked to sexual transmission and airborne spread, particularly with the Clade 1B strain. This is why public enlightenment is key,” he explained.
Dr. Idris acknowledged the challenges in reporting confirmed cases, citing stigma as a major issue. “Some states are not reporting cases due to stigma or because the disease is not yet visible to them. We are deploying personnel, as we did during the cholera outbreak, to help identify more cases. While most cases are from the less severe Clade 2B strain, we must remain vigilant for Clade 1B,” he noted.
At the event, which brought together numerous stakeholders in Nigeria’s health sector, WHO Country Representative Dr. Walter Mulombo acknowledged the high demand for Mpox vaccines in the country. However, he expressed concern that global vaccine supplies are currently insufficient.
“The current manufacturer’s capacity cannot meet global demand without intervention. Nigeria must expand its laboratory network to improve case detection,” Dr. Mulombo urged.
He highlighted that the epicenter of this new public health emergency is in Central Africa and its neighboring countries, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring of disease-causing microbes worldwide.
“Nigeria is currently at moderate risk, but until all countries are safe, no country is truly safe,” Dr. Mulombo concluded.
