EXPERTS SEND WARNING AS MONKEYPOX HITS ONDO, 14 OTHER STATES
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Medical experts have called on the Federal Government to take urgent action in the fight against Monkeypox.
They also warned against complacency among Nigerians.
They made the call after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported that the disease has spread to 15 states in the country.
The experts said there was the need for greater surveillance and more awareness in the country to curtail the spread of the disease.
The latest Monkeypox situation report by the NCDC revealed that 36 cases had been confirmed in 15 states.
The states with confirmed cases, according to the centre, are Lagos (7), Adamawa (5), Delta (3), River (3), Cross River (2), FCT (2), Kano (2), Bayelsa (2), Edo (2), Imo (2), Plateau (2), Nasarawa (1), Niger (1), Oyo (1) and Ondo (1).
Speaking with The PUNCH, a Professor of Public Health, Tanimola Akande, said it was unfortunate that there wasn’t much attention on Monkeypox like COVID-19.
He said, “The situation is sad, it is a systemic issue. Except other forces from other countries spur us to action, we hardly take action, but it doesn’t have to be; we should be able to carry out awareness on our own.
“There are various bodies responsible for creating awareness at all levels; from the Federal Government to the local governments and the health departments, they should be involved in creating awareness among the people on the radio, television but once there is no provision of funds for such a thing, it will not be done and that is unfortunate.”
Credit: Punch
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