The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says the behaviour and negligence of Nigerians in following precautionary measures was contributing to the outbreak of viral diseases in the country, including monkeypox.

John Oladejo, the NCDC director of Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, made this assertion on Tuesday in Ibadan while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of an ongoing public health conference.

“The main problem in the country, as related to these viral diseases, is the people themselves. When you give them instructions or protocols, they don’t follow them. So, at the community level, there are always behavioural problems,” he said.

However, Mr Oladejo said the federal government has scaled up the surveillance system, with immediate actions focused on training healthcare workers on monkeypox surveillance and response at the state and local government levels.

He said the training aided the surveillance level, in which cases were detected and treated. “We are using a digital surveillance system and molecular laboratory to know the sequencing of monkeypox in Nigeria.

“We have done a lot to ensure that we are able to control as well as prevent the spread of monkeypox in the country.

“The prevalence is very low, contrary to what many people think, the total number of cases from 2017 to date is 569,” he said.

According to him, there are a number of measures that can be taken to prevent infection with monkeypox virus, including good hand hygiene and avoiding contact with animals that could harbour the virus.

(NAN)