Health

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has revealed that Nigeria has recorded 10 new confirmed cases of the Monkey Pox disease in six states. The health agency disclosed this via its official website, in its latest Monkeypox situation report released on Friday. Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that does not spread easily between people. It is usually a mild self-limiting illness and most people recover within a few weeks. However, severe illness can occur in some individuals. The agency said 44 new suspected cases of Monkeypox were reported between 30th May and 5th June 2022, from 14 states of which 10 were confirmed positive from six states. The states with new confirmed cases include Edo (2), Rivers (2), Plateau (2), Lagos (2), Imo (1) and Ondo (1). According to NCDC the country has so far recorded a total of 110 suspected cases of Monkey Pox disease from January to June 5. It added that the total number of confirmed cases within the same period has risen to 31.

In its bid to stop the spread of the monkeypox virus, the Federal Government (FG) has ordered the immediate suspension of the importation of wild animals, and also warned hunters and dealers of bush meat business to indefinitely suspend business. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Abubakar, made this known in a signed statement, urging Nigerians to avoid contact with monkeypox-infected persons.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said it is not clear yet whether the spread of monkeypox can be contained completely, but that its target was to contain the outbreak by preventing human-to-human transmission to the maximum extent possible. WHO in a statement said “Tools to manage it, including readily available diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics, are not likely to be immediately or widely accessible to countries.” The WHO Technical Lead for monkeypox, Rosamund Lewis, while speaking during a live session on Monday said close contact with monkeypox patients is the most significant risk factor for monkeypox virus infection, adding that the virus is moving into older populations, even in the endemic setting.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has revealed that at least one person has died as a result of monkeypox disease while there are currently no fewer than 66 suspected cases. This was disclosed on Sunday in a monkeypox situation report signed by Director General, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa.

Member-States of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday re-elected Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus to serve as the Director-General (DG) of the Organization for the second term of five years. His re-election was contained in a statement published on the WHO’s website which disclosed that he was the sole candidate and his second term commences officially on August 16, 2022.

The Federal Government has revealed that it has introduced a new telecommunication tax that is targeted to finance a subsidy cost for the provision of healthcare to vulnerable persons in the country. The new law was contained in the just concluded national Health Insurance Authority Bill 2021 and was just endorsed by President Muhammadu Buhari into law on May 19, 2022. As contained in the new law, section 26(1c) of the Act states that the source of the money for the funding of the new health law will include; telecommunication tax, at least a kobo per second of total GSM calls being made in Nigeria.