BY UKET OKA, Calabar
Cross River State Government (CRSG) has been alerted of a Monkeypox (Mpox) case in Okoshe community in Obudu local government area.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Egbe Ayuk, who made the made this known, Saturday, in Calabar, the State capital, noted that a report from the National Reference Laboratory, Abuja, had confirmed a case of Mpox from Obudu in Cross River State.
Dr. Ayuk further informed that his Ministry was, on Monday 19th August, notified of a presumptive diagnosis for Mpox or Chickenpox by the State Epidemiologist of Ebonyi.
“A Sample was then sent to the National Reference Lab from there. The result returned Saturday, 24 August 2024, positive for Mpox and negative for Chickenpox.
“The case, a female, is from Okoshe village in Obudu local government area. She was at Federal Medical Centre, Abakaliki to access care,” the Health Commissioner added.
He also stated that investigation about her travel history is ongoing, to ascertain her State of residence, or what took her primarily to Ebonyi, as there is no medical history or referral from Obudu.
“While the investigation of the travel history of the case is ongoing, the state government is responding actively to mitigate any outbreak in Obudu,” Dr. Ayuk assured.
The Commissioner further said, he had directed the Mpox Emergency Operation Center to be activated immediately, with the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Ekpo Ekpo as the Incident Manager.
He also explained that the Obudu local government area response team with support from the State team had been directed to commence immediate mitigation activities.
The Commissioner enumerated some of these mitigation measures, include Line-listing of symptomatic contacts; quarantine of close/symptomatic contacts at General Hospital Sankwala – Obanliku; sample collection from symptomatic contacts, immediate movement of samples to the State hub, sensitization on preventive measures and awareness at churches, schools, communities and immediate movement of commodities to General Hospital Sankwala, among others.
As a long term measure to check any spread of the outbreak, Ayuk notified that plans are underway for monthly financial support to surveillance teams in the LGAs for active case search at health facilities and communities across the State, supportive supervision by the State and Local Government Area Teams, establishment and equipment of an isolation ward in all government hospitals and positioning of case management, provision of infection prevention and control commodities in all Local Government Areas, as well as health promotion and advocacy on personal hygiene
