By Peter Duru The Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services has launched an investigation into reports of a suspected Mpox outbreak in Korinya, Konshisha Local Government Area, LGA, following a distress call by residents who appealed for urgent government and international intervention over an unidentified skin disease affecting several people in their community. The alarm was raised by residents of Tyokula Achihi Residence, located along Km 2 Vandeikya Road, Korinya, in a public appeal dated July 25, 2026. The residents claimed that several young men and women had developed severe rashes, fever and blister-like lesions covering their faces, chests, backs and other parts of their bodies, raising fears of a possible Mpox outbreak.
In the statement signed by Shadrach Mtsor on behalf of the community, the residents said the illness appeared to be spreading rapidly among people living in close quarters, with many of the affected individuals reportedly being residents within the same compound. “We are making a desperate public appeal for immediate medical intervention over a suspected outbreak of M-Pox in our community. Many of the affected persons are staff and residents within the same compound and have no access to proper diagnosis, isolation or treatment.
We fear this could spread to the wider Korinya community and beyond if not contained now,” the statement read. The community appealed to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the Federal Ministry of Health, the Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA), UNICEF, the Nigerian Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to urgently deploy medical personnel to investigate the cases. Among the interventions requested were the immediate deployment of a rapid response medical team to assess and test the suspected cases, provision of isolation materials, personal protective equipment and hygiene kits, free medical treatment for affected persons, public health education to prevent further transmission, and possible temporary closure and decontamination of the affected workplace if necessary.
“Our community is poor and cannot handle this alone. The victims are isolated in their rooms without medical care. We appeal to all well-meaning bodies, NGOs and government agencies to…
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