Males in Nigeria are more likely than females to contract the mpox, according to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). Men have made up 67% of Mpox cases as of January 2024. Approximately 70% of the 6,001 suspected and confirmed cases since the disease’s first confirmed cases in September 2017 have involved men.
According to the NCDC’s most recent data, 1,031 suspected cases—67 of which have been confirmed in 2024 alone—had been recorded throughout 47 local government units in 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Children under five are the most afflicted age group, followed by those between the ages of 26 and 30 and 46 and 50.
There haven’t been any Mpox deaths in 2024 despite an increase in cases, compared to two in 2022 and seven in 2003.
The symptoms of mpox, which is brought on by the monkeypox virus, include fever, swelling lymph nodes, and a painful rash. It spreads by respiratory droplets, contaminated objects, and close touch. A global public health emergency has been proclaimed for mpox by the World Health Organization.
The WHO recently approved the MVA-BN vaccine for mpox in response to the outbreak, and the US government donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine to Nigeria.
