Monkeypox: 9 dead in Congo, first death in Nigeria in 2022

At least nine people have died of monkeypox in Congo in 2022 and Nigeria has recorded its first death from the disease, as more than 20 countries struggle with the recent disease outbreak.

Dr Aime Alongo, chief of the Sankuru health division in Congo, said Monday that 465 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the nation, making it one of the worst-hit in West and Central Africa, where the disease is endemic.

The persistence of the disease in Congo is due to the consumption of dead monkeys and rodents, Dr Alongo said.

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"The residents enter the forest, pick up the corpses of monkeys, bats and rodents which are the reservoirs of monkeypox," the official added, urging those with monkeypox symptoms to visit a health centre to isolate themselves.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention announced that in 2022 it has confirmed 21 out of 66 suspected cases of the disease, which is usually endemic in Nigeria and other parts of West and Central Africa.

A spike in monkeypox cases reported in Europe and the U.S. has generated concerns among those countries, many of whom have not recorded a single case of the disease in years. Over 250 cases of the disease have been reported in more than 20 countries not usually known to have outbreaks, the World Health Organization said.

Monkeypox has not previously triggered widespread outbreaks beyond Africa, where it is endemic.

"The biggest challenge that you have with a disease such as monkeypox is that it is uncommon and the perceived risk by the population about how dangerous this condition is has been very low ... that is why ... we have conducted awareness training and advocacy training to increase the level of awareness of health care workers," Adetifa said.

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