The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has reported that children aged 0-5 years are the most affected by the Mpox outbreak in the country this year.
This was revealed in a statement by the NCDC on Friday.
According to the NCDC, Nigeria has recorded 48 confirmed cases of Mpox in 2024, with the majority of the cases occurring in young children. “Out of the 48 confirmed cases of Mpox recorded this year in Nigeria, the most affected age group is children between 0 -5 years old,” the NCDC stated.
Mpox spreads easily through contact with infected persons or contaminated materials. In its latest report, NCDC noted that during reporting week 34 (August 19-25), eight new confirmed cases were recorded across five states, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in 2024 to 48.
The report also highlighted a sharp rise in suspected cases, stating, “A further breakdown of the case data showed that 57 new suspected cases were reported in week 34, 2024, compared with 25 cases reported in week 33.” Additionally, “Eight confirmed cases were reported in week 34 compared with one confirmed case reported in week 33, 2024.”
So far in 2024, 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have recorded at least one confirmed case across 35 Local Government Areas. Since September 2017, Nigeria has reported 4,685 suspected Mpox cases from all 36 states and the FCT, with 1,134 confirmed cases and 17 deaths. The NCDC also noted that “Males (~70%) are predominantly affected.”
Symptoms of Mpox include a high fever over 38.3°C, intense headache, swollen lymph nodes, back pain, muscle aches, and severe weakness, followed by a rash that often starts on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, including the soles of the feet and palms of the hands.
