By Chinelo Obogo, Lagos
Airlines and airports are yet to receive any health guidelines or protocols from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) over the outbreak of monkeypox, Daily Sun can reveal.
A source within the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), told Daily Sun that the agency has not yet received any directive on what the monkeypox health protocol would be from the NCDC and as such, cannot give any directives to airlines.
According to the NCDC, in the past five months, Nigeria has recorded 21 confirmed cases of the monkeypox disease with one death.
The NCDC also disclosed that in the month of May, six new confirmed positive cases were reported from four States; Bayelsa (2), Adamawa (2), Lagos (1) and Rivers (1). Also, 20 suspected cases were reported from eleven States with Lagos (5), Bayelsa (2), Adamawa (2), Rivers (2), Niger (2), FCT (2), Delta (1), Oyo (1), Kaduna (1), Edo (1) and Gombe (1). A 40- year-old man with renal co-morbidity and on immune-suppressive drugs died from the disease.
More than 300 suspected and confirmed cases of monkeypox, a mild illness that spreads through close contact and can cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions – have been reported in May, mostly in Europe.
The World Health Organisation said last Monday that it does not believe the monkeypox outbreak outside Africa will lead to a pandemic, adding it remains unclear if infected people who are not displaying symptoms can transmit the disease.
The WHO is considering whether the outbreak should be assessed as a “potential public health emergency of international concern” or PHEIC. Such a declaration, as was done for COVID-19 and Ebola, would help accelerate research and funding to contain the disease.
Once monkeypox has been contracted, the duration of the rash emerging and scabs falling off is recognised as the infectious period, but there is limited information on whether there is any spread of the virus by people who are not symptomatic.
The president of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Susan Akporiaye, told Daily Sun that so far, the outbreak is not affecting flights as travel agents have not received any travel guidelines from airlines.
“The monkeypox outbreak is not affecting flights because so far, there has been no official communication either by any airline or the World Health Organisation on the issue which means the industry hasn’t been affected,” she said.
On whether the Federal Government has adjusted the covid guidelines for travel, Akporiaye said: “The covid protocol for passengers coming into Nigeria has not changed and it is still the same cost for those that have not been vaccinated. You would require a covid test before you can come in and you would still need to require a day one and day two test. It is only those who are fully vaccinated that do not need to do the test, you just fill in your record locator and travel permit; that is all.
“For those travelling outside, when you are leaving Nigeria, it is the covid protocol of the country you are going to that you would abide by. We are hoping that the Federal Government does something about the covid protocol. The UK has lifted the Covid rules for everyone whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, US, Canada, Nigeria and some other countries have not lifted for non-vaccinated,” she said.