MPOX: Red Cross engages community stakeholders in Plateau to prevent outbreak 

The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) Plateau state branch, has engaged critical stakeholders with a view to preventing MonkeyPox (MPOX)  in the state.

The branch chairman of Red Cross, Nurudeen Ishaq Magaji, said the need for the stakeholders engagement became necessary after MPOX cases were traced in five LGAs of the state. 

He said the programme is a collaborative efforts of the NRCS and Plateau state Ministry of Health.

“There are confirmed cases of MPOX, in Five LGAs, and we deliberately chooses Jos North, Bokkos, Shemdam, Mangu and Kanke Local Government Areas where such cases were recorded, to make our impact towards educating, informing and enlightening the people about the disease,” he said.

Magaji said the efforts of Red Cross alone cannot prevent MPOX, but the collective support and collaboration of the people can go along away in preventing the disease.

In his remarks, the Plateau state epidemiologist, Dr Maren Damala, highlighted that the state has in 2024 had 11 confirmed cases of MPOX.

“Now have recorded confirmed 11 classes; we have other cases but we’re turned to be negative,” he said. “There was dead that was recorded in the State.”

Dr Damala said the best way to prevent the disease is for people to be away from sic animals, right from domestic animals to bush animals.

According to him, people can prevent contracting MPOX by ensuring hand hygiene, food Hygiene, avoiding close contact with infected person, visitation to the hospital as well as vaccination.

He said collaborative partners like the Nigerian Red Cross are very important at taken the preventive campaign down to the people.

“What the Red Cross is doing is helping us, especially in preventive measures, by educating people on how to prevent, educating people on behavioural change, and educating people on how to avoid those diseases,” he enthused.

 Damala commended the Red Cross, saying they have always been not only in the city but, “they are also there at the field supporting us in the area of surveillance…”