Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekwazu, says there is no vaccination programme for monkey pox control, to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, with a total of 33 suspected cases and a spread across seven states, so far.
Ihekwazu disclosed this at a Senate Committee meeting of the Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases headed by Mao Ohuabunwa, in a plenary held at the Senate, yesterday.
“There is no vaccination programme for Monkey pox at the moment in the country. It is mostly common among adults, mostly from age 20 and above, and there is no Monkey pox vaccination from NCDC,” Ihekwazu said.
According to Ihekwazu, the primary transmission of the viral disease is from animals, but it is also contagious among humans with transfer of body fluid.
“We do not have laboratories to confirm urgently, but we have sent samples to Reedemers University, which is the only lab in the country where it can be tested and Dakar, Senegal,” he said.
However, the senators took turn to ask questions, such as the seven states the virus had been detected and steps taken to control, and how to calm the public.
In response, the NCDC CEO said, “The spread will be curtailed; the biggest cluster is in Bayelsa, where 17 people are infected. A total of 33 suspected individuals might be infected all over the country, and spread across seven states.
“NCDC centres have been provided to make sure it is curtailed. To prevent this, we must maintain good hygiene, wash our hands, and keep our environment clean.
“However, the primary hosts are rats, squirrels, but it was first discovered from a monkey. The patients recover after good treatment; we keep them quarantined as long as there are still infected.”
On the part of the senators, Ohuabunwa said, “Provision for a full reference diagnostic lab in all geo-political zones must be included in the 2018 budget.”
Ohuabunwa asked the NCDC to make available means for communication so that the public can notify of emergencies.
Also, Nelson Effiong, a member of the committee, asked if there had been a visibility study in the establishment of a lab where the samples could be tested.
In his contribution, Sam Anyanwu, another member of the committee, said, “The health agencies must be well funded to have provision for cases like this; we should have a lab to test.”
The committee brought the meeting to a close by saying the NCDC CEO would be engaged by the Senate next week.
