As Nigeria and other African nations face the rising mpox cases, a health expert, Professor Oyewale Tomori has called on African governments to allocate local resources for outbreak response.
Professor Tomori, a Senior Fellow at the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Disease (ACEGID), emphasised the urgency of this measure in an exclusive interview with Africa Health Report (AHR) on Friday.
Tomori applauded the Africa CDC’s recent declaration of mpox as a public health emergency, viewing it as a crucial step in addressing Africa’s persistent issue of global neglect in outbreak responses.
He stated, “Africa should focus on improving surveillance, contact tracing, community engagement, and better lab services to limit the number of cases and control the outbreak before it becomes a PHEIC or PHECC.”
Regarding Nigeria’s preventive measures, Tomori noted that the effectiveness of traveler health forms hinges on accurate information.
He remarked, “The measure will only be effective if travelers provide correct information. Inaccuracies can frustrate health workers and overwhelm the NCDC data management system with irrelevant data.”
He suggested that form completion be restricted to travelers from high-risk countries for better data management and disease surveillance.
Tomori also advised Nigerians to minimise risk by avoiding contact with potentially infected animals and individuals. “Avoid handling clothes or materials exposed to infected persons or animals. Isolation of infected individuals is crucial, and hand hygiene should be rigorously practiced,” he said.
He highlighted the availability of vaccines, noting, “At least two vaccines, ACAM2000 and Jynneos, can prevent mpox due to the similarity between smallpox and mpox viruses.”
The push for local funding and better outbreak management practices reflects a growing recognition of Africa’s need to strengthen its health response infrastructure and reduce dependency on external aid.
