Following reports of monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak in several regions of Africa, the Nigerian Ministry of Health has issued a directive requiring all passengers entering the nation to fill out and submit a health declaration form. The ministry’s directive, which aims to prevent the further spread of the disease, took effect on August 11 for travellers arriving at the airports in Lagos and Abuja. Passengers have the option to fill out the form via the internet or print a hard copy to fill out. The ministry advised every passenger to complete and submit the online form in advance of leaving their current location in order to minimize delays upon arrival in Nigeria.
As per the directives on the ministry’s website, travellers who are unable to complete the form will receive paper copies when they arrive in Nigeria. This form is an implemented strategy designed to safeguard the health of all Nigerians by preventing the spread, keeping an eye out for potential infectious disease imports, and helping to control disease outbreaks. The traveller’s personal information is required on the form. In addition, the traveller must submit their contact, health, and travel record within 21 days of their arrival.
There have been cases of new variants in some countries.
The Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recently stated that it’s considering whether to declare Mpox as a Public Health emergency of continental Security (PHECS) over the next week. This is due to the fact that Clade Ib, a new type of the disease, is expanding, primarily in Congo. Since mid-July, cases of the new variants have also been recorded from Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The director-general of the CDC for Africa, Jean Kaseya, disclosed that the number of cases recorded on the continent had increased by 79% from 2022 to 2023 and by 160% from 2023 to 2024.
In recent years, there have been notable outbreaks of Mpox, a zoonotic viral disease, in numerous African nations. The monkeypox virus is prevalent in some regions of Central and West Africa, but the most recent outbreaks have sparked alarm across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the disease outbreak is spreading more seriously, which has triggered debate over whether or not to declare Mpox as a global health emergency. This action would help impacted countries by increasing international support and drawing in more resources and as well create more awareness.
Congo accounts for 96 percent of all Africa cases.
Thus far, 10 African nations have reported cases of the virus in 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been the most severely affected, with approximately 96 percent of all recorded cases and fatalities in the continent coming from this country. This year’s outbreaks have caused the disease to move outside of its usual geographic range, which has generated concerns about future cross-border transmission. According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a group of experts consultation is in progress to gauge the severity of the outbreak and choose the best course of action for global emergency response.
This is indicative of the increasing need to contain the outbreak before it possibly gets worse, especially in considering the difficulties in managing infectious diseases in locations with little access to healthcare. Outbreaks have become more common and have spread across larger geographic areas in recent years. Significant numbers of cases have been reported from nations like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic. The infections in these areas are frequently associated with eating bushmeat or having intimate contact with infected animals, especially rats and primates.
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One of the most severe cases of the disease in the past few years happened during the last notable Mpox outbreak in Nigeria in 2022. The outbreak partially triggered the re-emergence of the disease across West and Central Africa at the time of the outbreak. According to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), there were 2123 suspected cases overall, 762 confirmed cases, and 7 deaths reported during the period. To prevent the occurrence of such cases, Nigerian health authorities have responded to the recent outbreak reports by stepping up surveillance and response actions, focusing on early detection, containment, and public awareness, among other steps.