National, News, Northern Bahr el-ghazal

South Sudan registers first suspected Mpox in Aweil

By William Madouk

 

The Northern Bahr el Ghaza State Ministry of Health has said three suspected Hepatitis E and two monkeypox cases have been detected in Aweil.

Addressing the media, Dr. Riiny Riiny Lual, state minister of health said they have collected a sample of suspected cases of Hepatitis and Mpox.

“We have suspected cases of Hepatitis E and also we have suspected cases of Monkeypox,” said Lual.

“I want to reassures the population in Northern Bahr el Ghazal that we don’t have an outbreak,” he added.

He called on the public not to panic since the collected samples were sent to Juba for further check-ups.

Besides, Dr. Lual tied consecutive mysterious death cases to food poisoning, asserting that the lab in Juba confirmed it and an investigation is ongoing over the matter.

Dr. Riing Yak Chan, the Director of Preventive Health Services, said they have detected three Hepatitis E and two suspected cases of Mpox.

“We happened is that last week, there were cases of Hepatitis E that were suspected on RDT in Wadwiel Refugee settlement, Kuem and also Hai – Dalala, those three cases were positive of RTD for Hepatitis E.”

“Their samples are taken to Juba to confirm whether these are cases of Hepatitis E or they are positive or negative for Hepatitis E.”

Meanwhile, health education focal person¸ Dr. Luka Lual said the first suspected case was detected in an 8-year-old boy in Aweil State Hospital on Sunday.

“In Northern Bahr el Ghazal, we have a suspected case of monkeypox which was found in Aweil State Hospital on Sunday morning. An 8-year-old boy came from Apada in Nyalath, Aweil Center County, with rashes and fever,” he said.

He urged the public to report any suspected cases to the nearest health facility for early management.

According to WHO, Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus orthopoxvirus. Mpox was first discovered in humans in 1970 in the DRC.

It has since been mainly limited to certain West and Central African nations, with people mainly catching it from infected animals, such as when eating bush meat.

The common symptoms include skin rash and mucosal lesions which can take at least 2-4 weeks, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.

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