MPOX In Nigeria: ‘Children 0-5 Years Mostly Affected’, Says NCDC

The Nigerian Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) has said children between the ages of 0-5 years old were mostly affected by the Mpox disease outbreak in the country.

This was revealed in a statement by the centre on Friday.

According to the NCDC, 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.

Mpox is said to spread easily through contact with infected persons or contaminated materials.

In an update report on the disease, NCDC said 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.

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.

Eight confirmed cases were reported in week 34 compared with one confirmed case reported in week 33, 2024.

Twenty states + FCT have recorded at least one confirmed case across thirty-five Local Government Areas in 2024.

And since September 2017, 4685 suspected cases have been reported from 36 states and FCT, with 1134 confirmed cases (24.2%) from 35 States and FCT with seventeen deaths. Males (~70%) are predominantly affected.

Symptoms of the disease usually include an acute illness with fever >38.3°C, intense headache, lymphadenopathy, back pain, myalgia, and intense asthenia followed by a progressively developing rash often beginning on the face (most dense) and then spreading elsewhere on the body & may soles of feet and palms of the hand.