MONKEYPOX OUTBREAK: Stop Eating Bushmeat, Dead Animals And Monkeys , Ministry Of Health Warns Nigerians

In order to curtail further spread of the deadly monkeypox disease in the country, the Federal Ministry of Health has called on Nigerians to avoid eating bushmeat, monkeys as well as dead animals.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole disclosed this  on Thursday, October 5th, 2017 through the director of media and public relations in the ministry Boade Akinola.

Akinola who also revealed that the disease has no cure  nor vaccine, said there is no reason to panic anyways.

The statement reads in part:

“He (Adewole) said the virus was mild and there was no known treatment and no preventive vaccines, hence the public should be at alert and avoid crowded places as much as possible.

“He advised the public to avoid eating dead animals, bushmeat and particularly bush monkeys.”

The statement added that “The symptoms include headache, fever, back pains and in advanced cases, rashes bigger than those caused by chicken pox.”

Adewole also disclosed that test samples have been sent to the World Health Organisation (laboratory) in Senegal for analysis and the Ministry is still awaiting the results.

He also advised that anyone who experiences any of those symptoms listed above to go to a hospital.

Since the outbreak of the virus, 10 people and a doctor have been quarantined after they contracted the disease in Bayelsa State.