The Commissioner for Health in Cross River State, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, has officially confirmed the presence of a case of Monkeypox (M-Pox) in the state. Contact tracing is underway to determine the individual's whereabouts and identify those who may have had contact with her.
Dr. Ayuk stated that the affected individual is a female from Okoshe village in the Obudu local government area. She sought medical care at the Federal Medical Centre in Abakaliki. Ongoing investigations are focused on establishing her travel history to ascertain the primary reason for her visit to Ebonyi, as there is no existing medical history or referral from Obudu.
To address this issue proactively, the state government is actively responding to prevent any potential outbreak in Obudu. Dr. Ayuk has instructed the immediate activation of the Mpox Emergency Operation Center, with Dr. Ekpo Ekpo, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, appointed as the Incident Manager.
Furthermore, the response team in the Obudu local government area, with support from the state team, has been directed to commence mitigation activities without delay, as confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja. The laboratory's diagnosis identified a presumptive case of Mpox or Chickenpox by the State Epidemiologist of Ebonyi. Subsequent confirmation from the national reference lab on Saturday, August 24, 2024, yielded positive results for Mpox and negative results for Chickenpox.