Lagos State Government has again reiterated the need for citizens to ensure and maintain adequate personal and environmental hygiene at all times as part of precautionary measures to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases such as Monkeypox recently reported in the State.
The Honourable Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who stated this earlier in the week during the biosecurity update meeting on the situation report of Monkey Pox disease in the State, urged residents to observe the highest possible standards of personal and environmental hygiene, especially through regular washing of hands with soap and running water as well as attention to environmental exposure.
Giving details about the recent report of the disease in Lagos State, the Commissioner disclosed that three suspected cases of monkeypox were reported by health facilities in the past one month, noting that the cases were positive for Monkey Pox as revealed by reports of laboratory investigation.
“The patients were treated at the specialised infectious disease isolation centre of Mainland Hospital, Yaba, had since recovered and were discharged. The close contacts and family members of these cases were actively monitored for 21 days for any development of signs and symptoms of monkeypox and none of these contacts developed any symptoms”, Abayomi said.
The Commissioner, while calling for calm, assured residents that there is no cause to panic, stressing that the State Government in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, through the Centre for Disease Control, is maintaining relevant surveillance activities in all local government areas to prevent an outbreak of the disease.
He explained that the State Epidemiology and the Monkeypox focal persons from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had earlier carried out sensitisation for clinicians and community members in some local government areas three months ago to increase awareness and reporting of any suspected case.
Abayomi advised health workers to ensure that they take universal safety precautions when dealing with patients, noting that appropriate personal protective clothing must be worn when attending to cases of contagious infectious diseases.
“Health workers are advised to observe universal safety precautions when dealing with patients and report any suspected case of monkeypox to the Medical Officer of Health in their local government or the Directorate of Disease Control through these lines: 08023169485 and 08023377487”, Abayomi said
The Commissioner explained that Monkeypox is a rare viral infection of animals, transmissible to man and caused by monkeypox virus, adding that the symptoms in humans are similar to those seen in chickenpox patients although less severe. It occurs primarily in Central and West Africa close to the tropical rain forest where there is frequent contact with infected animals.
Abayomi explained that transmission of the disease is by direct contact of persons with the blood, bodily fluid, cutaneous or mucosal lesions of infected animals as well as handling of infected monkeys and rodents such as West African giant rats and squirrels which are the major reservoirs of the virus.
The Commissioner also noted that the disease could also be spread through human to human transmission during close contacts with infected respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or objects recently contaminated by patient’s fluid or lesion materials; eating undercooked meat of infected animals and transmission to the unborn baby through the placenta.
He cautioned that monkeypox can be suspected in any person with a pustular rash and one or more symptoms of fever, chills, sweats, headache, backache swollen glands sore throat, cough and shortness of breath.
“In the early phase of the disease, patients usually present with fever, swelling of lymph nodes, back pain, intense headache, muscle pain and lack of energy while in the late phase, skin rashes or lesion with a flat base develops between three days after the onset of fever which later forms small fluid-filled blisters. This fluid later becomes pus and then crust in about 10 days”, he explained.
While revealing that there is no specific treatment for monkeypox, Abayomi said that patients recover after the symptoms subside between two to three weeks, stressing that the disease may leave residual scars on affected parts of the body.
He advised that precaution should be taken when coming into contact with wildlife such as monkeys or rodents, especially if such animal exhibit features of the disease, as such hand washing is essential after contact.
TO/TMS/OS
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