By Abdullahi Muhammad
Abuja
Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) yesterday denied rumours of suspected outbreak of the dreaded monkey pox in Abuja.
The Secretary, Health and Human Services secretariat (HHSS), Barrister Amanda Pam, who made the denial, said “so far, seven suspected cases have been recorded in four FCT hospitals with samples of six victims taken and sent to Senegal for test and confirmation.”
She stated this yesterday while briefing the newsmen at the secretariat in Abuja.
She said: “Three suspected cases were recorded in National Hospital, two in Gwarinpa Hospital, one each in University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada and Nyanya General Hospital.”
According to her, the recorded cases were that of chicken pox, which shares similar appearance to monkey pox.
It would be recalled that on Wednesday, there were rumours that there two cases of monkey pox diseases at Gwarinpa General Hospital, Abuja.
“Though we have some suspected cases but samples were collected and sent to the lab, so we are waiting for the results but from all indications, it is not monkey pox.
“But I think I like the suspicion because it’s better to suspect than to ignore it and it later turns out to be positive. The truth now is that there is no confirmed case of monkey pox disease in FCT.”
Speaking further, Acting Director, Public Health FCT, Humphrey Okoroukwu, disclosed that he had already visited the said hospital on Wednesday, reaffirming no case of the virus was found.
He said surveillance officers from the public health department of the FCTA are being deployed to the 62 wards of the Territory, as a precautionary measure against threatening health issues.
Recall that the federal government, through Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), had, on Monday, confirmed suspected outbreak of monkey pox in seven states, which included Bayelsa, Rivers, Ekiti,
