Spatiotemporal Patterns of Monkey-Pox Transmission in Nigeria: A Situation Analysis for Public Health Measures

Abstract

Background: Out of the 277 cases of monkey-pox reported in Nigeria between January 1st and 14th of September 2022, 115 cases were in men, confirming the claim of WHO that the most recent epidemic is prevalent among males. Objectives: This study aim to comprehensively analyze the outbreak of monkey-pox in Nigeria, including its transmission dynamics, clinical characteristics, diagnostic methods, treatment options, vaccination efforts, and public health lessons, with the primary objective of providing insights into the epidemiology of the disease and recommending effective interventions for controlling its spread. Results: The hotspot analysis of monkey-pox in Nigeria showed that Katsina, Kano, Oyo, and Lagos are epidemic states with significant spatial autocorrelations of monkey-pox cases. Bubbles aggregated mainly in quadrants one, two and three in the Moran scatter plots proposed that the form of monkey-pox cases spatial distribution are the primary compositions which were in three distinct patterns, including low-low, low-high and high-high. A level 2 National Multi-sectoral Monkey-pox Emergency Centre (MPX-EOC) was recently activated by the Federal government of Nigeria to strengthen the surveillance system and coordinate present response activities to monkey-pox in Nigeria. Presently, there are no treatments and vaccines to monkey- pox in Nigeria and the Federal Government has urged Nigerians to adhere to safety proactive measures to reduce the widespread of the virus in the country. Conclusion: Therefore, in this r epor t, we suggested prompt Public Health Intervention programs in all hotspot states for monkey-pox in the country with focus on crowded places such as markets and traditional gathering in order to reduce the potential transmission of the deadly virus, particularly among high-risk groups. Awareness all over the country about monkey-pox virus cannot be overemphasized