Gov’t raises monkey pox alarm as wildlife carrier dies after human captivity

By Nchendzengang Tatah

A ministerial letter urged public avoidance of death or living primate handling, following the death of a monkey with monkeypox after human keeping in Libongo, a locality in the Salapoumbe subdivision of Boumba et Ngoko in the East Region.

The announcement on November 28 is signed by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Joseph Nyongwen. He detailed that the animal was transferred from its capturers after over a month in their keeping to a conservation site in Mefou, Méfou et Afamba. Where a mixed ministerial team is said to have carried out the diagnosis.

The said monkey could not be sustained with treatment and it died on November 26, 2024, in isolation. Findings according to the government official, showed the body to be a carrier of the monkeypox disease.

While informing that the animal and the tools used to care for it have been incinerated, the statement said persons who had come in contact with the animal are under observation.