1 week Ago By Contributing Writer
MONROVIA – The National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) has confirmed a second case of Mpox in Liberia. This new case, located in Lofa County, brings to two the number of confirmed Mpox cases after the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on August 14, 2024. According to NPHIL, this second confirmed case is a two-year-old male patient who presented with fever, rash, and other symptoms that are characteristic of the Monkeypox virus infection in humans.
Four contacts have been traced and identified. The patient is currently isolated and receiving home-based care. The first confirmed case of Mpox was detected in Sinoe County following the ACDC and WHO declaration.
“In view of the evolving epidemiological and biological dynamics as well as established guidelines, the Monkeypox transmission in Liberia now equates to an outbreak,” said NPHIL in a statement issued by its Director General Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan. The NPHIL has activated the National Incident Management System (IMS) to coordinate and managed the country’s outbreak preparedness and response in collaboration with the international partners, the Ministry of Health, and the local communities, among others.
NPHIL is also proactively ramping up public awareness and prevention measures about the disease. In light of the announcement by the Incident Management System (IMS) of an outbreak situation, County-health and surveillance officers of the NPHIL and Ministry of Health around the country have heightened their activities as sporadic suspected cases of Mpox have begun springing up in the country. As the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) leads the nation’s response, the NPHIL advises the general public to adhere to health and sanitation regulations as to avoid person to person and community spread of the Monkeypox virus.
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