Okon Bassey in Uyo
The Akwa Ibom State government has announced that the monkey-pox disease has spread to the state with one person confirmed having the ailment.
Speaking in Uyo, the state capital weekend, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, said the affected person is presently being quarantined, adding that two other suspected cases were being monitored by medics.
According Ukpong, the viral ailment borne by wild animals, especially monkeys, could be contracted through body contact with infected persons and warned the citizens to shun bush meat.
The commissioner called on the residents of the state to observe precautionary measures by imbibing high sense of personal hygiene, adding that such hygiene included regular hand washing as well as avoiding indiscriminate handshake and other physical contacts.
With the reported outbreak of the virulent ailment in the state, Akwa Ibom is now the third Niger Delta state affected after Bayelsa and Rivers.
