NPHIL Liberians Back To Square One
As NPHIL Confirms Mpox Presence, Wants Citizens Brace For Preventive Regulations
Liberia-As the new variant of Mpox or Monkeypox is raging in Africa, killing and affecting thousands of citizens, Liberia is on the verge of getting back to square one in dealing with another public health pandemic for which the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) is preparing to roll out several preventive protocols.
Thousands of lives were lost when Ebola and Corona Virus struck during the regimes of former Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Manneh Weah, two viruses the new Mpox variant is evocative of.
The World Health Organization has since the outbreak of Mpox an international health emergency and called nations of the world to take appropriate measures to control its spread and effects on citizens, while the African Center for Disease Control has since alerted an outbreak of disease in the African region.
Here in Liberia, the NPHIL has announced that three counties in Liberia are reporting a case of monkeypox in the country, although authorities there did not name the concerned counties after their recent release.
But on OK FM Monday, newly appointed Director General of the NPHIL, Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan confirmed that monkeypox has it, but said they are working with Ministry of Health to ensure preventive regulations are implemented.
NPHIL boss Nyan said the government will shortly ensure that public health regulations including washing hands at public facilities and hand sanitizers among others will soon be introduced.
“NPHIL can determine a person is infected with Monkeypox through the laboratory by testing the blood among others,” he said, reminding Liberians the same way Ebola and Covid-19 were tested to determine positive or negative results.
In a effort to alley public anxiety in the wake of the serious public health situation, he said the government, using available tools including budgetary allotment through NPHIL, is working to prevent an outbreak of Mpox.
“There is a need for the legislators to ensure more funding is provided to the health sector to address most of the health problems in the country,” Dr. Nyan, a celebrated Liberian chemist, said.
“The government is going to activate its surveillance system to ensure that the country does not have a cross-border transmission, with the outbreak of Monkeypox in the region,” he emphasized, also disclosing that there is vaccine for Monkeypox the government is trying to work with its partners to have in the country.
Under the regime of former President Weah, the first case of Covid-19 in Liberia was confirmed March 16, 2020 when former EPA Executive Director Nathaniel Blama who traveled from Switzerland tested positive.
Blama consequently lost his job when it became clear that he violated screening protocols at the Roberts International Airport.
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