At least nine persons have been reported hospitalised as the dreaded monkeypox disease spreads to Delta State.
The Punch quoted sources as saying today (October 19) that six of the affected persons were from Agbor, where the state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, hails from.
Also confirming the development, a medical doctor at the Federal Medical Centre Asaba, said the remaining victims were from around the state capital.
It is understood that the victims were diagnosed of the disease yesterday and that their blood samples have been collected for tests.
However, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Azinge, has reacted to the outbreak of the disease in the state with a denial. Azinge was quoted to have said “Not true! There is no case of monkeypox in Agbor ,not even any patient with a high suspicion of it.”
The federal government had yesterday said that the Monkeypox virus outbreak has spread to 11 states in Nigeria with 74 suspected cases recorded.
The Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole made the disclosure in Abuja when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The minister, who updated the Council on the recent developments in respect of the outbreak of the disease, listed the affected States as Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa and Rivers as well as the FCT.
