The Ministry of Health has mandated that all travelers to Nigeria complete a health declaration form to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. This requirement was announced on the ministry’s official website, healthapp.ncdc.gov.ng.
Recent reports have highlighted a resurgence of monkeypox in Africa. Concerns are growing about a new strain of mpox—formerly known as monkeypox—that was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and has since spread to several neighboring countries. This new strain, known as Clade Ib, is more deadly and transmissible than previous versions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that it might convene an expert committee to decide whether to declare an international emergency, similar to the response during the global mpox outbreak in 2022.
The Clade Ib strain is characterized by widespread skin rashes, unlike other strains where lesions are generally confined to the mouth, face, and genitals.
As of August 3, the African Union health agency, Africa CDC, reported 14,479 confirmed and suspected cases of this strain and 455 deaths in the DRC, yielding a mortality rate of approximately three percent. Researchers in the region have noted that the mortality rate among children could be as high as 10 percent.
The Congolese government acknowledged last month that there has been an “exponential increase” in cases.
“The disease has been seen in the displacement camps around Goma in North Kivu where the extreme population density makes the situation very critical,” Louis Albert Massing, medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in DRC said.
In view of the above, the Nigeria Health ministry mandated all travellers to Nigeria to fill health declaration form.
“This form is an instituted measure to prevent the spread, monitor the possible importation of infectious diseases and aid the control of disease outbreaks thereby protecting the health of all Nigerians”, the ministry said on its website.
