A study by an international team of researchers from the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital Yola, and James Cook University, Australia, has appeared in the current edition of Frontiers in Public Health (JCR IF 6.461, Scopus Citescore 4.0), dated December 15, 2022. The study, 'The epidemiological trend of monkeypox and monkeypox-varicella zoster viruses coinfection in North-Eastern Nigeria' concludes that monkeypox virus (MPX), varicella zoster virus (V.Z.) and monkeypox-varicella zoster virus coinfections occurred predominantly among males and children.
The AUN researchers involved in the collaboration with their counterparts in Nigeria and Australia include Dr. Jamiu Olumo of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and Drs. Jennifer Tyndall and Malachy Ifeanyi Okeke, both of the Department of Natural & Environmental Sciences (NES).
In its summary section: "The study highlights the need for active MPX and V.Z. surveillance systems in the country to enhance the early detection and control of the two viruses. Furthermore, given that MPX is a zoonotic viral disease, further research on the animal reservoir is critical, while strategic actions and interventions to ensure that the disease is not established in domesticated livestock and small animals are introduced". According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC (www.cdc.gov), a zoonotic disease is caused by harmful germs like viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi and is often transmitted by animals.
This latest research by the prolific AUN NES scholars can be accessed using this link: Stephen R, Alele F, Olumoh J, Tyndall J, Okeke MI and Adegboye O (2022) The epidemiological trend of monkeypox and monkeypox-varicella zoster viruses coinfection in North-Eastern Nigeria. Front. Public Health 10:1066589. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1066589.
Reported by Halima Mohammad