The Monkey pox disease outbreak has spread to 11 states with 74 suspected cases recorded, the Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole has said.
Adewole disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Federal Government, on Oct. 11 confirmed that 33 suspected cases of the virus were recorded in 7 states.
The minister, who updated the Council on developments in respect of the outbreak, listed the affected States as Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa and Rivers as well as the FCT.
“The Council also received an update on the state of the public health of the nation. We informed the council about the latest development in respect of the Monkey Pox virus outbreak. So far as of today, there are 74 suspected cases in 11 states of the country.
“We have confirmed three from Bayelsa and 12 of the suspected cases from Bayelsa tested negative; four suspected cases from Lagos tested negative. We are still expecting the results of the other ones.
“We are also doing test at the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Edeh, to really understand the genomics of this virus.
“Even when they are negative, the laboratory attendant should be able to tell us what exactly they are,’’ Adewole said.
The minister also dismissed the assertion that the military was spreading Monkey Pox virus through vaccination.
According to him, the military was never involved in any vaccination in the country, adding that any vaccination must involve state governments and the Federal Ministry of Health.
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