The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has recorded 59 possible monkeypox cases.

On Tuesday, NCDC Director-General Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu announced that 15 instances of the disease had been confirmed.

Ihekweazu was responding to a Dallas, Texas man who returned from Nigeria recently and tested positive for the disease.

The patient was infected with a form of the virus that is mostly found in West Africa, including Nigeria, according to laboratory findings.

However, Ihekweazu told NAN that an outbreak would be notified if there was a big cluster of monkeypox cases that constituted an emergency, similar to how the agency responded to other epidemic-prone diseases in the country.

“The Federal Government was notified of the situation in Texas, through the International Health Regulations (IHR), who reported a case of monkeypox disease diagnosed in a patient who had recently visited Nigeria.

“Since the re-emergence of monkeypox in the country in September 2017, the agency has continued to receive reports and responses to sporadic cases of the disease from states across the country.

“We have been working closely with state health ministries to strengthen monkeypox disease surveillance and response in the country.

“We have been working closely with state health ministries to strengthen monkeypox disease surveillance and response in the country.

“We work with Enhanced Monkeypox Surveillance Project where we have been training health workers across states to rapidly detect and manage cases.

“Our initial focus is on the states with the highest number of cases – Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Lagos.

“We will continue working with all states to strengthen monkeypox prevention, detection, and control in Nigeria.

“If you feel ill or have a sudden rash, please visit a hospital for diagnosis and management,” he said

He advises Nigerians to remain in the practice of necessary measures taken to protect one’s themselves from monkeypox and other infectious diseases.

Monkeypox is a rare but potentially fatal viral infection that starts with flu-like symptoms and progresses to a rash on the face and body. It belongs to the same virus family as smallpox.

It usually lasts for two to four weeks. The virus cannot be transmitted by those who do not have any symptoms.

Infections of that strain of monkeypox are fatal in roughly one out of every 100 persons, with those with compromised immune systems being particularly vulnerable.