Liberia has recorded a fresh confirmed case of the Moneypox viral disease, with health authorities urging the population to report any skin disease or strange illness that looks like chickenpox.
Confirming the outbreak on Monday, July 25, 2022, health authorities also call on the public to report all cases of individuals presenting with fever, headache, muscle pain, blistering rash and swollen lymph.
Monkeypox is a rare viral zoonotic disease with symptoms in humans like Smallpox. These include, fever, headache, muscle pains, blistering rash and swollen lymph.
This is the second case of this disease recorded in Liberia since the first one in 2018 when the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC)) confirmed that.
On July 23, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a global health emergency.
In May this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that seven African countries have cumulatively reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) nearly 1400 monkeypox cases (1392 suspected, 44 confirmed) so far this year. This case count is for the year up until mid-May and is based on preliminary reports.
The cases have been reported from Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone. The number of cases in 2022 are slightly fewer than half of cases reported in 2021.
Liberia’s Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah said that the latest index case is that of a 42-year-old man who came into Maryland County, Liberia from across the border in the Ivory Coast. The man is said to have reported himself to local health authorities.
On Monday, July 25, 2022, the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) issued this press release below detailing the confirmation of the the latest case of Moneypox in the country.
