Sammy Sam-Wobo, the president of the Parasitology and Public Health Society of Nigeria (PPSN), has called for increased surveillance at entry points to prevent the spread of mpox in the country.

He made the call in an interview with journalists in Lagos on Monday, saying the measure would help to tackle the spread of the new strain reported in other countries.

Mr Sam-Wobo explained that though the response process used during COVID-19 had been activated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), there is a need to increase surveillance at the various entry points to the country.

He said the country’s healthcare personnel can handle the current situation effectively the way COVID-19 was managed.

Mr Sam-Wobo added, “The federal government set up response processes during COVID-19, and that is what NCDC is leveraging, but we still need to increase surveillance at entry points into the country.”

The president urged Nigerians to adhere to NCDC preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus and present early to government-designated health facilities for prompt treatment.

On the need for vaccine production in Nigeria, Mr Sam-Wobo noted that the country can achieve it through quality research output that requires huge funding.

He explained that there are advanced technologies and techniques available that could fast-track vaccine production to prevent outbreaks of diseases that are endemic to the country and Africa.

Mpox is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, causing fever and swollen lymph nodes.

The disease, which initially broke out in Central Africa, has since spread to several West African countries, including Nigeria, where 39 cases have been officially recorded.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared mpox an international public health emergency.

There were reports of a deadlier mpox new strain called “Clade 1″ ” in Thailand and Sweden, a different variety than the less severe Clade II strain that fuelled the global outbreak in 2022.

(NAN)