Mpox Spreads To 25 States, FCT, NCDC Report Confirms 94 Cases

The Mpox virus has spread across 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), affecting 63 local government areas, according to the latest situation report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

The report, which was made public on Tuesday, revealed that 94 confirmed cases have been recorded out of 1,297 suspected cases between January 1 and October 6, 2024.

 During Epidemiology Week 40, 47 new suspected cases were reported, compared to 67 suspected cases in Week 39. However, only six new confirmed cases were recorded in Week 40, down from 10 confirmed cases in the previous week.

The report highlighted that since the virus resurfaced in Nigeria in 2017, a total of 5,114 suspected cases have been documented from 36 states and the FCT. Of these, 1,180 cases have been confirmed, representing 23.1% of the suspected cases, with a total of 17 fatalities. Men make up about 70% of the confirmed cases.

The NCDC also noted that its National Mpox multi-sectoral and multi-partner Emergency Operation Centre is continuing to coordinate the national response efforts.

Among the states with confirmed cases in 2024, Cross River leads with 11 cases, followed by Lagos with 10, Plateau and Enugu with eight each, Akwa Ibom with eight, Delta and Bayelsa with six each, and the FCT with five. Other affected states include Imo (four), Benue (four), Rivers (three), Abia (three), Osun (two), Ogun (two), Edo (two), Anambra (two), and several others with at least one confirmed case each.

Ogun State currently has the highest number of suspected cases at 222, followed by Lagos with 153 suspected cases. Other states with significant numbers include Bayelsa (125), Cross River (84), Akwa Ibom (65), and Ekiti (63).

The NCDC’s data on the age distribution of confirmed cases shows that the virus has affected individuals across all age groups. Children aged 0-10 account for 24 confirmed cases, while those aged 21-30 recorded the highest number of 25 confirmed cases. Meanwhile, the 50-and-above age group has had four confirmed cases.

Health authorities continue to urge vigilance and precautionary measures to prevent the further spread of Mpox across the country.