The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has said that cases of monkeypox reported in different parts of the country can only be confirmed after laboratory tests, insisting that for now it is only a suspicion.
The Minister said this while briefing journalists after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja.
Prof Adewole however blamed states for slow response to outbreaks of diseases, adding that the health authorities at that level of government do not report cases on time.
The Minister’s comment on the monkeypox is coming on the heels of an assurance from the Nigerian centre for disease control, asking Nigerians not to panic over the reported outbreak.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, told Channels Television in an interview that the centre is awaiting the confirmation of the disease from tests being conducted within and outside the country.
