Mpox Virus: Nigerians warned against eating undercooked bush meat

The Association of Resident Doctors at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (ARD-UITH) has warned Nigerians against eating undercooked bush meat to avoid contracting the deadly Mpox virus.

The President of ARD-UITH, Yusuf Muhammed, gave the advice in Ilorin on Monday during a chat with journalists.

He cautioned people to avoid contact with dead animals as much as possible.

Mr Muhammed explained that Mpox is a zoonotic infection that affects animals and can be transferred to humans.

“Mpox is not entirely new, but at some points, new strains commonly appear, and in recent times, the World Health Organization (WHO) has sent a warning that the strain currently detected is a new one.

“The fear is that the human antibody may be unable to protect against it like the previous strain. This poses a significant threat to people, and everybody should be on the lookout,” he said.

The ARD-UITH president described monkeypox as a viral disease related to the now-eradicated smallpox virus.

According to him, initial symptoms are typically flu-like, including fever, chills, exhaustion, headache and muscle weakness, often followed by a painful or itchy rash with raised lesions that scab over.

He advised Nigerians not to panic but to report suspected cases to the nearest health agencies where proper investigation and contact tracing can be done.

“The public should not panic but report cases to health agencies for contact tracing and proper investigation so that at-risk individuals can also be quarantined and prevention measures taken,” he advised.

He assured that the association was fully ready to use all the arsenal, responses, and preparedness deployed during COVID-19 to fight any eventual outbreak in the country.

“ARD from the national body and the UITH is observing the trends, preventive measures, and advice from the scientific community so that we appraise them and contribute our quota to the body of knowledge.

“For now, there are no reported cases of the outbreak in Nigeria. As far as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is concerned, the WHO alerts all nations to be on the lookout for possible outbreaks,” he said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that the outbreak of Mpox in parts of Africa was now a public health emergency of international concern.

The organisation revealed that at least 450 people died during an initial outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the disease has since spread to Central and East Africa and Sweden.

It added that the disease can spread through close contact such as touching, kissing or sex, as well as through contaminated materials like sheets, clothing and needles.