Mpox: FG tightens border surveillance as cases hit 39
The Nigerian government has escalated its border surveillance and tightened control measures in response to the growing threat of the Mpox outbreak spreading across Africa.
This action, confirmed by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, follows the World Health Organisation’s declaration of the situation as a global health emergency.
In a statement issued by Tashikalmah Hallah, the minister’s Senior Adviser on Media and External Relations, it was revealed that Nigeria has intensified monitoring and screening at all entry points to prevent internal infection and curb the disease’s spread.
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The minister emphasized the severity of the situation, citing the World Health Organization’s urgent call for coordinated international action to manage the outbreak.
Minister Pate highlighted that Nigeria’s Ports Health Services had already begun strengthening the nation’s defences even before the global health bodies declared Mpox a public health emergency.
The measures include a new mandate requiring all travellers to complete an online health declaration form before entering the country and the activation of infectious disease centres across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The public is urged to maintain high hygiene standards, including frequent hand washing with soap or using alcohol-based hand sanitisers, especially after contact with infected persons or animals.
The Mpox outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has since spread to other parts of Africa, causing significant fatalities.
The virus has now reached Europe, with Sweden reporting its first confirmed case.
The WHO has warned of the potential for further spread within and beyond Africa, stressing the need for a coordinated global response to halt the outbreak and save lives.
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