A Professor of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ibadan, Prof. Simeon Cadmus has called for investment in vaccine and therapeutic research to mitigate the impact of Mpox in future outbreaks.
Cadmus made the call on Tuesday during the 2024 Physicians’ Week of the Oyo State Chapter of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), in Ibadan.
The event had the theme: “Ensuring Universal Applicability in Remuneration: A Panacea to Talent Retention in the Healthcare Industry.”
It also had the sub-theme, “Mitigating the Impact of Infectious Diseases: Addressing the MPox Outbreak and Beyond.”
Cadmus said that strengthening early detection systems and prioritising equitable healthcare access were vital in mitigating MPox outbreaks.
He emphasised the need for a coordinated international approach for building rapid response capabilities and ensuring that all populations would receive timely and effective healthcare services.
“A proactive stance focused on global cooperation, robust healthcare infrastructure and public education will be pivotal in safeguarding public health against infectious diseases.
“There is need for proper community engagement and mobilisation of national and international funding sources to support preparedness activities,” he said.
According to him, MPox can be transmitted from animal to animal, animal to human and human to human.
“The people mostly at risk include children, pregnant women, health workers and sex workers.
“MPox outbreaks in Nigeria and Africa require urgent collaborative efforts to address the epidemology and transmission dynamics of the disease,” Cadmus said.
The Chairman of the occasion, Dr Omolara Smith, remarked that the theme and sub-theme were apt.
She added that knowledge and resilience were critical to combat spread of diseases.
“Let us discuss, learn from each other and see what we can do differently, and our minds must be working constantly.
“We should begin to prepare ahead because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” she said.
The Oyo State Chairman of NMA, Dr Happy Adedapo, called for policy formulation that would adequately support quality healthcare delivery.
Adedapo said that NMA would partner with the state government and relevant stakeholders to sensitise people to the dangers of MPox as well as how it could be tackled.
“There is need for continuous engagement of people especially those at the grassroots.
“NMA will work with the media and engage in jiggles to create more awareness about the disease.
“MPox can pose a serious challenge to mankind; so, we need to know ways of mitigating such a disease.
“At the end of this programme, values would have been added to humanity,” he said.
NAN
