Kano State Government, Saturday night confirmed that the blood sample of the suspected case of Monkey pox in the state has been sent to Abuja from where it would be taken to Dakar, Senegal for laboratory investigation. Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ibrahim Kabiru Ketso, disclosed this during a press conference in the state, saying the result of the test in Dakar will be returned in two or three weeks time.
He explained that the suspected patient had been quarantined in a government hospital at Yar Gaeya in Dawaki Kudu Local Government Area, adding that the patient had contacts with 60 people in his community before he was isolated.
The Commissioner ruled out the history of the suspect having contact with any previous case of Monkey pox, saying that their investigation showed that the suspect had not traveled out of his community to any of the states where the incident of Monkey pox had been reported According to him, the Ministry had since dispatched a team of epidemiologists to the suspected case, adding that the suspected case exhibited one of the symptoms associated with Monkey pox disease.
He however cautioned that there were other diseases that shared similar symptoms with Monkey pox, hence the need for caution in coming to any conclusion even as he added that, the history of the suspected case was more in favour of chicken pox than monkey pox.
The Commissioner for Health said that even before the discovery of the suspected case, the state government had taken steps to ensure that the health of the people of the state was protected in the face of the new disease.
He noted that the steps included the activation of Yar Gaeya Isolation Center, encouraging regular hand washing after caring for or visiting sick people, and encouraging the cooking of animals and immediate exclusion of any animal that has contact with an infected animal apart from massive public campaign on the radio and television. He called on the media to support the state Ministry of Health with public enlightenment , urging them to endeavor to cross check their facts before publication to avoid unnecessary panic among members of the public.
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