… As NLC offers free medical services wees to the Ndakwo community, Abuja***

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said that as many as 141 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported in-country, up from the previous 110 cases.

The NCDC, via its verified website, disclosed this on Friday.

Also read: FG committed to ending monkey pox – Minister

The newsmen report that when scientists investigate the spread of infectious disease, one area they look at is the genetic sequences of the pathogen.

But there’s a snag when it comes to the monkeypox virus, which is now causing an unprecedented outbreak of several hundred infections in some 30 countries where it’s not typically seen.

The DNA viruses, particularly those with relatively big genomes like poxviruses (the family that includes monkeypox), generally accrue mutations much more slowly than, say, an RNA virus-like SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19.

That means that examining the sequences might be less fruitful in terms of tracking how the virus is spreading from person to person.

There are fewer chances to the virus’ genome that might shine a light on transmission chains.

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But as researchers around the world share sequences from the current outbreak, the genomes have revealed something odd: “There are way more mutations than expected.”

So many mutations in such a short amount of time might seem worrisome, if, perhaps, it meant the virus is evolving to spread more efficiently among people.

But scientists have a different hypothesis (one they say needs to be further studied) about what these mutations say about these infections and, in turn, what that can illuminate about the outbreak.

The NCDC said that From January 1 to 12th June 2022, there have been 141 suspected cases in total and 36 confirmed cases from fifteen (15) states.

It said that the states were; Lagos (7), Adamawa (5), Delta (3), River (3), Cross River (2), FCT (2), Kano (2), Bayelsa (2), Edo (2), Imo (2), Plateau (2), Nasarawa (1), Niger (1), Oyo (1) and Ondo (1).

“One death was recorded in a 40-year-old man with co-morbidity that was receiving immunosuppressive drugs.

“Overall and from September 2017 to 12th June 2022, a total of 653 suspected cases were reported from 33 states in the country.

“Of the reported cases, 262 (40.1%) have been confirmed in 23 states – Rivers (55), Bayelsa (45), Lagos (37), Delta (32), Cross River (16), Edo (12), Imo (10), Akwa Ibom (7), Oyo (7), FCT (8), Plateau (5), Adamawa (5), Enugu (4), Abia (3), Nasarawa (3), Benue (2), Anambra (2), Ekiti (2), Kano (2), Niger (2), Ebonyi (1), Ogun (1) and Ondo (1).

“In addition, from September 2017 to June 12th, 2022, a total of nine (9) deaths have been recorded (CFR= 3.4%) in six states – Lagos (3), Edo (2), Imo (1), Cross River (1), FCT (1) and Rivers (1),” it stated.

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Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued sexual guidance for infected people with monkeypox.

The CDC issued a list of safe sexual activities for sexually active patients to follow. Among the recommendations are to ‘masturbate together at a distance of at least 6 feet’ or ‘consider covering areas where rash or sores are present when having sex.’

Newsmen recall that the descriptions of classic monkeypox disease describe a prodrome including fever, lymphadenopathy, headache, and muscle aches followed by the development of a characteristic rash culminating in a firm, deep-seated, well-circumscribed and sometimes umbilicated lesions.

The rash usually starts on the face or in the oral cavity and progresses through several synchronized stages on each affected area and concentrates on the face and extremities, including lesions on the palms and soles.

The WHO said that the current risk of Monkeypox to human health and for the general public remains low, but the public health risk could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself in non-endemic countries as a widespread human pathogen.

It said it assesses the risk at the global level as moderate considering this is the first time that many monkeypox cases and clusters are reported concurrently in non-endemic and endemic countries.

The WHO said that most reported cases so far have been presented through sexual health or other health services and have mainly involved men who have sex with men.

In another development, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in partnership with International Labour Organisation (ILO) offered free medical services to residents of Ndakwo community, beside Sunny Vale, FCT, Abuja on Saturday.

The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, told newsmen that the essence of the outreach was to give back to the society and carry out part of the congress’s social responsibility.

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Represented by Deborah Yusuf, Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, FCT Chapter, Wabba said the outreach was the fifth in FCT.

Residents of Ndakwo community in FCT, queueing for free medical services

He said “NLC is standing in for Nigerian workers, and then in collaboration with ILO, this is a special outreach;  this is the fifth time we are organising community outreach, it is all about giving back to the society.

“It is part of our Corporate Social Responsibilities.

We have workers everywhere, we are trying to give back to them, including their relations.

“This outreach is very important and it is coming at this particular period not because of anything but we learnt that the people really need medical assistance.”

Wabba said that they had various stations for registration and screening for HIV/AIDS, adding that it was important that people knew their HIV status.

He added that the group also educate people about knowing their HIV status, negative or positive, and to know that being positive is not a death sentence.

According to him, if anyone turns out positive, NLC  will take the person to referral centre and follow-up so that the person will be placed on drugs and necessary investigations.

Nurses carrying out their medical responsibility to residents of Ndakwo community, FCT Abuja

Wabba stated that the medical team would also do a confirmatory test if anyone was found to be HIV positive during the screening, adding that there was a team of experts handling that.

The NLC president also disclosed that part of the medical team on ground were those administering COVID-19 vaccine.

He said there were various brands of the vaccine such as Pifzer, Astrazeneca and Johnson and Johnson.

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According to him, COVID-19 is a world health emergency that has affected everybody, and that the congress is using the outreach to also create awareness about the pandemic.

Expressing happiness with the turnout of people for the  outreach, Wabba said that the congress was equally using the medium to educate people on the need to stay safe.

He said that part of the services the congress was offering were blood pressure and sugar checks, adding that people needed to check their status to avoid emergency.

Wabba said many people were down as a result of diabetes, and people had  also collapsed as a result of BP, adding  that all these diseases necessitated the need to screen people.

He said there was also consultation station, adding that people would be given  drugs within the reach of the congress.

He explained that if there was any need for referral, such a person would be referred to any medical facility, and that there were laboratory scientists and nurses responsible for various tasks.