The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Akwa Ibom State has launched a comprehensive sensitisation campaign aimed at educating residents on the rising cases and preventive measures for Mpox in the state.
The initiative follows a report from the Ministry of Health, indicating that Akwa Ibom has recorded eight confirmed cases of the Mpox outbreak, with the state ranking among the highest in Nigeria for reported infections.
The Akwa Ibom State NOA Coordinator, Mr. Mkpoutom Mkpoutom, while addressing newsmen on Monday in Uyo, the state capital, outlined the agency’s efforts in curbing the spread of the disease.
Mkpoutom revealed that staff from the NOA have been deployed to the affected local government areas (LGAs) since the previous week, acting on directives from the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State Health Agency.
“I am sure that you are very much aware that Akwa Ibom is having the highest cases of Mpox right now as we speak. So, my people have been on the field since last week when we had the instruction from the Ministry of Health in partnership with Akwa Ibom State Agency on Health matters,” Mkpoutom stated.
He further specified that ten LGAs are currently impacted, with Uyo, Onna, Mkpat Enin, and Ikot Ekpene being among the most severely affected. “At least ten for now. The meaning is that in the whole federation, Akwa Ibom ranks high in Mpox disease,” he added, emphasising the urgent need for heightened awareness and preventive action across the state.
Mkpoutom who Highlighted the severity of the outbreak, noted that, in one incident in Onna LGA, six individuals were infected within a single household.
He further shared that six infected individuals had recently moved from Onna to Uyo before the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) could complete contact tracing, leading to Uyo’s emergence as a secondary hotspot. In response, the state has quarantined the affected individuals, and contact tracing efforts continue to contain further spread.
The NOA’s awareness campaign is an integral part of the state's health response, as Mpox currently has no cure, only treatment and management options.
