Deadly viral epidemic “monkey pox” has broken out in Bayelsa state, striking fear into the hearts of residents of the state.
It is understood that a medical doctor and 10 other persons who came down with the disease had been quarantined in an isolation centre.
The centre is at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) Okolobiri, Yenagoa.
It was said to have been created by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the epidemiological team of the state’s Ministry of Health to stop the spread of the disease.
It was said to have been created by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the epidemiological team of the state’s Ministry of Health to stop the spread of the disease.
According to reports, the NCDC and the epidemiological team were tracking 49 other victims, who had come in contact with the infected persons.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, confirmed the development the outbreak.
He said samples of the virus had been sent to the World Health Organisation (WHO) laboratory in Dakar, Senegal, for confirmation.
Etebu described monkeypox as a viral disease 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 and subsequently had outbreaks in West Africa.
"Recently in Bayelsa State we noticed a suspected outbreak of monkey pox. It has not been confirmed. We have sent samples to the World Health Organisation (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.
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