The Federal Government has set up an inter–ministerial committee to sensitise and fast track collaboration to prevent the spread of the monkey pox disease in the country.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, who said this in Abuja, noted that there was no recorded case of monkey pox yet in Nigeria but detected in the neighbouring country.
Abubakar said the ministry through the Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services was working assiduously in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and agencies to adequately sensitize the general public on the outbreak of money pox virus for early containment.
He said that the ministry was working in collaboration with Ministries of Health and Environment to intensify surveillance in the animal population and at the point of entry for wildlife.
The minister said that ministry was also creating awareness among hunting communities and the general public.
“In view of the current outbreaks in Europe and the Americas, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is working assiduously in collaboration with relevant sectors and stakeholders to intensify surveillance in the animal population and at the point of entry for wildlife.
He said that the sensitization was necessary since the outbreak of the disease,
if left unchecked would likely affect the population of our farmers and significantly would lead to low agricultural production and productivity.
He advised the public to avoid contact with animals that could harbour the virus including animals that are sick or found dead where monkey pox occurs; and avoid contact with any material such as bedding that has been in contact with a sick animal.
The minister urged the public to practice good hand hygiene such as the washing of hands and the use of alcohol based sanitizers after contact with infected animals or humans.
“The Ministry would like to assure the general public and the international community of her resolve to continue to collaborate with relevant sectors and stakeholders to promptly contain the disease in the event of an outbreak in the country,” he said.
Abubakar said that Nigeria Quarantine Services and other related agencies were stationed at every entry point of ports / borders to detect, inspect and detain any one with symptoms of the disease.
“There is no recorded case of monkey pox in Nigeria but detected in the neighbouring country.
“Generally, when you suspect an outbreak first of all there is focus on the area of the outbreak, and then you keep your eyes and ears wide open on all the necessary tools you have.
“Just like we just have COVID-19 pandemic, we are focusing on where it started and we are keeping our eyes open across.
“So in Nigeria officially we have not detected any case of Monkey-pox but since were bordering Cameroon and other countries including Ghana, where it has been detected.
” You don’t know when somebody will cross because our borders are porous, and it is not only through vehicles people cross the borders, and we are keeping track and looking everywhere, and the southern part of Nigeria is a risk area because of the deep forest.
“Our Quarantine Service is one of our strategic agencies being strengthened definitely is being strengthened in terms of staffing and it is everywhere; major airports, and other points of entry.
” We are doing everything humanly possible even before the Monkey-pox, the number of staff that would be policing our borders, and that is being done,” he said.
