–As NPHIL Surveillance Heightens Over New Arrivals From Eastern African
By Taisiah K. Merfee
IPNEWS: Two counties in Libera have now recorded the deadly Mpox Type Clade IIa.
According to the Director-General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia NPHIL, Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, at an emergency Press Conference, Sunday October 13, 2024, disclosed that Liberia now has three new cases of the Mpox type Clade IIa virus.
Dr. Nyan told reporters that the three news cases were from two of Liberia’s populous counties namely Bong County, Grand Bassa counties.
He emphasized that the three new cases now give Liberia a total of 11 cases since the WHO and the Africa CDC declared Mpox virus as a public health emergency of international concern.
The NPHIL Boss stated that five out of the 11 cases are still active, while six have recovered with no reported case of death since the pronouncements of the Mpox virus by WHO and CDC USA as public health emergency of international concern.
The outstanding Liberian inventor further informed Journalists that as head of the Incident Management Team on Mpox and other response, NPHIL have put in place the scientific mechanism to contain further spread and deaths among the Liberian population especially with the experiences from series of other pandemics and Epidemics including Ebola Virus and the COVID-19 virus.
“Out team of surveillance officers, epidemiologist supported by USAID, CDC and WHO, other organizations are currently deployed across the country He added that as a team they Currently have team in the 15 Counties training county Surveillance officers.
“We have technical people who know about sequencing various types of variances of a virus and we called on the general public to take the various precautionary messages and statement update by the NPHIL.” Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan stated.
Dr. Nyan furthermore said NPHIL is currently responding to other outbreaks including the Marburg virus in Rwanda which lots of Liberian students are currently studying and returning.
“Measures are now in place at airports to begin screening of returning passengers. As well know, there is a passenger who came from Rwanda and had the symptoms of the deadly marburg. Currently she is in isolation and being monitored by our team.” Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan stated.
