A 20-year-old corps member (names withheld) serving in Benue State has been quarantined.
The corps member is believed to be a lover of the suspected victim of monkeypox reported early November.
Benue State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Cecilia Ojabo disclosed this to the on Tuesday when asked the update of the suspected victim of monkeypox discovered recently in the state.
A female suspect of monkeypox was early November discovered in Gboko area of the state and later transferred to the Teaching hospital, Makurdi.
Dr. Ojabo said the quarantined youth corps member who had developed rashes all over his body, was later learned to be the lover of a suspected victim who had earlier contacted the monkeypox virus from another lover.
The commissioner said the result of the blood samples of the Gboko victim of monkeypox was received a few days ago from Sierra Leone and was positive with other viral infections.
Ojabo narrated the the whole episode, and said the victim’s lover who was a driver from Lagos had visited and slept with the lady before she developed the symptoms.
She further said that efforts to get the said driver (who had since returned to his Lagos base) has not been successful, as he reportedly denied visiting the state.
“We have received the report of the blood samples of the suspected victim of monkeypox reported a few weeks ago from Sierra Leone and it is positive with other viral infections.”
“The lady had since been quarantined; we also later discovered that a young man who is a lover of monkeypox victim, who is a 20-year-old corps member also developed rashes on his body and two of them have been quarantined.”
“While we were embarking on contact tracing we discovered that the victim had slept with her other lover who is a driver and who came from Lagos, we contacted the man on a phone so that he would be connected to Lagos ministry of health but he denied ever visiting Benue and other subsequent calls made to his line did not connect again.”
The commissioner said that the suspected case in Vandeikya area of the state that was reported was discovered to be measles.
She said there was a third case of a young boy schooling in Taraba State who showed symptoms and his parents took him to a doctor but in the process of transferring him to Makurdi the young boy disappeared and has not be seen since then.
- Nigerian Tribune