Reps Summon Health Minister Over Outbreak of Monkey-pox

Following the outbreak of the "Monkey-pox disease in some states of the Federation, the Federal House of Representatives had on Tuesday, summoned the Health Minister, Professor Isaac Adewole.



The summons, according to reports available, is to enable the Minister to explain measures taken by the Federal Government through the Health Ministry, to tackle the outbreak of the Monkeypox in some states.

At Tuesday’s plenary which was presided over by the Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, lawmakers lamented that the country’s Health Ministry was helpless without relying on the World Health Organisation to stop the spread of the virus.

The legislators also expressed their concerns that, a country as big as Nigeria did not have a laboratory to respond to the health emergency without first sending specimen to Dakar, Senegal, for investigations.

Rising also from plenary on Tuesday, the Upper Chambers of the NASS urged the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health, states and local governments as well as community based organisations to be proactive in containing and preventing the spread of Monkey Pox disease from where it was reported to have occurred.

Senators also called for aggressive enlightenment of the citizens about measures that can be taken to mitigate risk factor of exposure to the virus, through sustained public health messages via the conventional media and the social media platforms.

It would be recalled that, following the reported outbreak of the virus in some parts of the country including Rivers state, Senator Ali Wakili, representing Bauchi South, moved a motion on the need for proactive steps to nip the outbreak of the disease in the bud.

The motion by Senator Waikili was supported by all lawmakers present at the plenary on Tuesday.

Wakili, in his motion, expressed worries that there were no specific treatments or availability of vaccine for monkey pox infections.

The Upper Chamber of the National Assembly also, as part of its resolutions, called for proper liaison by the federal government with the WHO and other relevant donor agencies for contingencies against eventualities.

So far, thirty-one cases of the monkey pox disease have already been recorded in Bayelsa, Rivers, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Rivers and Lagos states.

Meanwhile, a report credited to the Centre for Disease Control that Ogun state is among states affected by the virus, has been denied the state government.