The Association of Resident Doctors at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, ARD-UITH, has warned against eating undercooked bush meat. This, the doctors said is for Nigerians to avoid contracting the deadly Mpox virus.
The advice was contained in press statement by the President of ARD-UITH, Yusuf Muhammed, in Ilorin on Monday.
Addressing journalists, Mohammed said, there was the need to caution people to avoid contact with dead animals as much as possible. And the eating of bush meat.
He explained that Mpox is a zoonotic infection that affects animals and can be transferred to humans.
“Mpox is not entirely new, but at some points, new strains commonly appear. And in recent times, the World Health Organization (WHO) has sent a warning that the strain currently detected is a new one.
“The fear is that the human antibody may be unable to protect against it like the previous strain. This poses a significant threat to people, and everybody should be on the lookout,” he said.
The ARD-UITH President described monkeypox as a viral disease related to the now-eradicated smallpox virus.
According to him, initial symptoms are typically flu-like, including fever, chills, exhaustion, headache and muscle weakness. He emphasized that this is often followed by a painful or itchy rash with raised lesions that scab over.
Mohammed, however, advised Nigerians not to panic. He urged them to report suspected cases to the nearest health agencies where proper investigation and contact tracing can be done.
“The public should not panic but report cases to health agencies for contact tracing and proper investigation. So that at-risk individuals can also be quarantined, and prevention measures taken,” he advised.
Mohammed also assured that ARD was fully ready to use all the arsenal, responses, and preparedness deployed during COVID-19 to fight any eventual outbreak in the country.
“ARD from the national body and the UITH is observing the trends and preventive measures. And advice from the scientific community so that we appraise them and contribute our quota to the body of knowledge.
“For now, there are no reported cases of the outbreak in Nigeria. As far as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, is concerned, the WHO alerts all nations to be on the lookout for possible outbreaks,” he said.
The World Health Organization, WHO, has declared that the outbreak of Mpox in parts of Africa was now a public health emergency of international concern.
The organization revealed that at least 450 people died during an initial outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And that the disease has since spread to Central and East Africa and Sweden.
It added that the disease can spread through close contact such as touching, kissing or sex. As well as through contaminated materials like sheets, clothing and needles.
In the latest development the Mpox case has been reported in Abia State. This was confirmed by the State Commissioner for Information on Monday.
source: Premium Times
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