Statistics from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reveal that males are predominantly affected by Mpox in Nigeria, accounting for 67% of cases recorded in 2024.
Since Mpox’s first confirmed cases in 2017, approximately 70% of Nigeria’s 6,001 suspected and confirmed cases have been male. So far, in 2024, 1,031 suspected cases have been reported across 47 local government areas in 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with 67 confirmed cases.
Children under five have been most affected, followed by the 26-30 and 46-50 age groups.
The NCDC also reported that no fatalities have occurred from Mpox in 2024, compared to two and seven deaths in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The WHO has declared Mpox a global public health emergency, with 14 African countries, including Nigeria, reporting cases.
In response to the outbreak, Nigeria received 10,000 doses of the Jynneos Mpox vaccine from the U.S. government.
Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus, spreads through contact with infected animals or humans, as well as contaminated objects, and causes symptoms like rashes, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.
The WHO recently approved the MVA-BN vaccine as the first Mpox vaccine on its prequalification list, supporting global efforts to curb the disease.
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