Osun: We’ve recorded only two cases of mpox since January

Akeem Bello, the director of public health in Osun, says only two cases of mpox have been recorded in the state since January.

Speaking with NAN on Monday in Osogbo, the state capital, Bello said surveillance activities have been intensified.

“We have had only two cases this year, one in March and the latest in the last week of August,” he said.

“The new case was in Ilesa, and we promptly conducted contact tracing to determine if others had contracted the disease.”

He said the August patient was stable adding that the state government had activated an emergency operations centre (EOC) for mpox.

He said health workers are undergoing training and retraining to improve their ability to identify and manage the spread of mpox.

Bello added that weekly meetings would be held to review events, noting that residents are advised to prioritise personal hygiene.

“Although the m-pox vaccine is not readily available in Nigeria, the government has assured residents that they will receive it when it becomes available,” he said.

Bello reassured members of the public that the situation is under control.

In a separate statement, Jola Akintola, Osun commissioner for health, said a meeting of the mpox emergency operations centre (EOC) was held at the ministry of health in the state capital.

Akintola emphasised that mpox is a preventable disease and commended Ademola Adeleke, the state governor, for his proactive leadership and dedication to public health.