Mpox: Cross River begins training of community informants, surveillance officers

Cross River State government has begun the training of community Informants and surveillance officers in all the local government areas in the state on collaboration with World Health Organization, WHO.

Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Henry Ayuk disclosed this when he debunked the declaration last week by National Centre for Diseases Control, NCDC, that Cross River is one of the states susceptible to Mpox outbreak.

Last week, the World Health Organization, WHO, formally declared Mpox as a global emergency having ravaged some countries in Africa and elsewhere.

The commissioner said, “Training is ongoing in all our LGAs for community informants and all surveillance officers sponsored by WHO in collaboration with the state Ministry of Health.”

He emphasised that there is currently no evidence of Cholera, Lassa or Mpox in the state.

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In a statement Thursday, Ayuk said the recent update from the NCDC had to do with previous occurrence of Mpox in the state.

The commissioner pointed that the last notification of mPox in the state was in March 2024, stressing that the incident was sufficiently resolved.

“There is currently no incident of mPox in the state,” he insisted.

Ayuk however disclosed that the state has put in place proactive measures to prevent and mitigate any incidents of the disease and protect residents.

“We are concluding the development of Incident Action Plan and Emergency Preparedness plan. In collaboration with NCDC, the State Ministry for Health is also training all Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers this week Thursday 22nd and Friday, 23rd August on Mpox and other priority diseases.

“In collaboration with NCDC, and WHO, we are intensifying awareness creation through sensitization at media houses, markets, schools and communities and hotspots LGAs.

“We are moving round all our health facilities (tertiary, secondary and primary) this August to sensitize health care workers on Mpox and other priority diseases.”