The Nigerian Ministry of Health has announced a new directive requiring all travelers to Nigeria to complete a health declaration form to help curb the spread of infectious diseases.
The ministry communicated this requirement through its official website, healthapp.ncdc.gov.ng.
The resurgence of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) in Africa has raised significant concerns. A new strain, identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and now spreading to neighboring countries, has been found to be more deadly and transmissible than previous forms.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is contemplating convening an expert committee to determine if the situation warrants an international emergency declaration, similar to the response during the global mpox outbreak in 2022.
The Clade Ib subclade of mpox, which has been affecting the DRC since September, is noted for causing widespread skin rashes rather than the localized lesions seen in other strains. The African Union’s health agency, Africa CDC, reported 14,479 confirmed and suspected cases of this strain and 455 deaths as of August 3, resulting in a mortality rate of approximately three percent. However, researchers indicate that mortality among children could be as high as 10 percent.
The Congolese government acknowledged last month that there has been an “exponential increase” in cases. Louis Albert Massing, medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in DRC, described the situation as “very critical,” particularly in displacement camps around Goma in North Kivu where high population density exacerbates the crisis.
In response to these developments, the Nigerian Ministry of Health has mandated that all travelers fill out a health declaration form.
The ministry stated, “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.”
