Prevent monkeypox scourge
Just when everybody was beginning to relax as the Covid-19 pandemic eases, another health scourge is lurking on the horizon.
And like Covid-19, it is also a viral disease that spreads fast. This is the monkeypox pandemic that risks rolling back the gains that have been made since Covid-19 was effectively brought under control after wreaking havoc for two years since March 2020.
The bad memories linger on. Besides the daily deaths, high infections devastated economies around the world, with huge job losses as businesses shut down. Anything that is likely to bring about lockdowns and movement restrictions again must be stridently fought. The country can hardly afford another round of such losses.
There is, therefore, a need to mobilise resources to keep the new health risk at bay. Initial symptoms include fever, headaches, swelling, back pain, aching muscles and fatigue.
People with a more serious illness may develop rashes and lesions on the face and hands, which then spread to other parts of the body. The United Kingdom has already confirmed 20 cases.
The disease is caused by the monkeypox virus and belongs to the same family as smallpox. Just like Covid-19, there is no treatment for monkeypox, hence the need for prevention. Vaccination against smallpox has proved to be 85 per cent effective in preventing monkeypox.
Anyone who comes into close contact with someone who has monkeypox can get the virus. It is also spread by contact with infected animals such as monkeys, rats and squirrels or by virus-contaminated objects, including bedding and clothing.
The WHO estimates that thousands of monkeypox infections occur in a dozen African countries, including Congo and Nigeria, every year. It is reported to have caused deaths in West Africa.
Still smarting from Covid-19, the country cannot afford to be caught unprepared. The Ministry of Health and the county health authorities must ensure full preparedness to prevent any outbreak. Prevention is, after all, better than cure.
