Dr. Janet Ekpenyong, the Director General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency
‘No active case of monkey pox in Cross River State’– Official
[From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar]
Director General of the Cross River Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong, has stated that there are no active cases of monkey pox in the state.
Dr. Ekpenyong stressed that the state government has a strong detection and management system as well as rapid surveillance team on ground to savage any pandemic.
“Cross River State has always been a state with proactive approaches to outbreak responses.
“We try to activate immediate search and border control measures as it can be traced as far as the Poliomyelitis control, COVID -19, lassa fever where almost all of our neigbouring states recorded substantial number of cases.
“As of today May 16th 2022, there’s no active case of monkey pox in Cross River State.
“We have tried every avenue to ensure that the state manage every symptoms of monkey pox especially in those Local Government Areas where we have recorded cases in the last few months.
“We have intensified surveillance as we actively search for people who visit our health facilities with similar symptoms and those reported by their relatives”, she said.
She assured residents that the government will not relent in its efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.
She also disclosed that government is working with its partners like world health organization, UNICEF and others who have always supported it in surveillance activities, periodic training of our health workers.
Her reaction follows reports in some local media in the state on the outbreak of monkey pox disease.
Monkey pox is caused by bites from animals or direct contacts with rodents like rats, rabbits or contaminated foodstuffs from these animals and it’s easily transmittable from human to human
Early symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, a general feeling of discomfort, and exhaustion.
Later symptoms occur one to three days or more after the appearance of fever and include a rash with raised bumps, often first developing on the face.
