The Cross River government has confirmed one case of mpox in the Okoshe community in Obudu LGA.

The confirmation came a few days after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported a case in Cross.

The case was initially denied by the commissioner for health, Henry Ayuk.

However, Mr Ayuk, while addressing journalists in Calabar on Sunday, said that the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja confirmed the presence of mpox in one patient in Obudu.

He explained that an Ebonyi epidemiologist alerted the health ministry to a possible case of Mpox or chickenpox on August 19.

”The patient, a female resident of Okoshe village in Obudu, sought medical care at the Federal Medical Centre in Abakaliki. Her test sample was sent to the National Reference Laboratory, and the result, which returned on Saturday, August 24, confirmed mpox and ruled out chickenpox,” Mr Ayuk said.

The commissioner said that the state government was working to prevent a possible outbreak in the area.

“While we are still investigating the patient’s travel history, the state government is taking immediate action to contain any possible spread in Obudu,” he assured.

The commissioner said the ministry had ordered the immediate activation of the Mpox Emergency Operation Center to strengthen the response. 

He said Ekpo Ekpo, special adviser to Governor Bassey Otu on health, had been appointed incident manager.

He also directed the Obudu LGA response team to collaborate with the state health team to mitigate efforts immediately.

The Nigerian Medical Association in Cross River appealed to the Cross River government to enhance surveillance measures, citing the state’s vulnerability to such an outbreak. 

(NAN)