“Nigeria confirms outbreak of Monkeypox with 558 cases and eight deaths,” reads the headline of an article in the Guardian, a Nigerian newspaper, on 10 May 2022. Its first paragraph adds that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) “has confirmed circulation of the disease with 558 cases and eight deaths in 32 states of the federation”.
The paper has since deleted the article, but it had been posted on several Facebook pages. The headline was also spotted on Twitter.
The piece continues to circulate online.
Monkeypox is a viral disease that occurs primarily in the tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa. It is caused by the monkeypox virus, transmitted from animals to people. Symptoms of monkeypox begin with fever, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion. The incubation period – the time from infection to when symptoms appear – is usually seven to 14 days, but can range from five to 21 days.
But did the NCDC really confirm an outbreak of monkeypox in Nigeria? We checked.
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