M-Pox Outbreak Hits Two Benue LGAs, Several Victims Identified

…Community seeks assistance from WHO, NCDC, UNICEF, SEMA others to contain disease

An outbreak of Monkey Pox disease has been reported in Vandeikya and the neighbouring Konshisha Local Government Areas of Benue State.

In an Save Our Soul (SOS) sent to both the State and Federal Ministries of Health and Human Services by one Terungwa Shadrach, a resident of Korinya in Konshisha LGA, the people called for urgent help to save the lives of the people.

Shared on the social media, the people appealed for immediate medical intervention to help tackle the disease spread to other Local Government Areas.

“We, the residents of Tyokula Achihi Residence, Km 2 Vandeikya Road, Korinya, are making a desperate public appeal for immediate medical intervention over a suspected outbreak of M-Pox in our community.

“For several days now, multiple young men and women within the community have developed severe rashes, fever and blister-like lesions covering their faces, chest, back and bodies.

“The condition is spreading fast among those living closely together. Many of the affected persons are local government staff and residents within the same compound and have no access to proper diagnosis, isolation or treatment.

“We fear this could spread to the wider Korinya community and beyond if not contained now.

“We are therefore soliciting urgent assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO) Nigeria, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Benue State Emergency Management Agency, UNICEF, Nigerian Red Cross, and Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) to be able to contain disease outbreak”.

The people said what they urgently need now is rapid response medical team to visit Km 2 Vandeikya road, Korinya to assess, test and confirm the illness; isolation materials, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and hygiene kits as well as free medicines, supportive care, and referral for those seriously affected.

“We also require public health education for our community on how to stop the spread, and temporary closure and decontamination of the affected workplace if necessary”.

“Our community is poor and cannot handle this alone. The victims are isolated in their rooms without medical care. We are scared.

“We appeal to all well-meaning bodies, NGOs, and government agencies to come to our aid before this becomes a bigger epidemic”.

Efforts to get the State Epidemiologist, Dr. Kwaghngise of the State’s Ministry of Health, hit the rocks as his telephone number could not go through, but the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Hon. Dr. Paul Ejeh Ogwuche, confirmed the disease outbreak, saying no casualty has been reported yet.

Dr. Ogwuche explained that he had contacted the surveillance team from the affected local government areas whom he said were on site to investigate and collect samples, adding that “it is after samples collection and appropriate tests done that necessary actions would be taken.

He said a laboratory for testing is in the state and there is no need taking the cases outside, adding that “as soon as the samples are collected and moved from the affeted places and results show that we can be able to say something about the diagnosis.