By: Emmanuel Ballah
BONG COUNTY — Health authorities in Bong County have confirmed the county’s first case of the Mpox virus, marking the region’s initial infection since the virus outbreak in Liberia.
According to Dr. Jefferson Sibley, the Bong County Health Officer, the case was initially identified last Thursday by the Medical Director of C.B. Dunbar Hospital in Gbarnga. The patient, who exhibited symptoms consistent with Mpox, underwent testing at the hospital.
Dr. Sibley told Super Bongese Radio, a local broadcaster, that specimens collected from the patient were sent to the National Public Health Institute of Liberia’s laboratory in Monrovia. The test results returned positive on Monday evening.
“The Medical Director of C.B. Dunbar Hospital informed us last Thursday about a suspected case,” Dr. Sibley said during a telephone interview. “We sent the samples to the lab in Monrovia, and the results confirmed it is positive.”
While Dr. Sibley did not disclose the exact community, he noted that the patient resides in the Kokoyah Road area. The individual has since been placed in isolation at C.B. Dunbar Hospital.
Dr. Sibley is urging the public to strictly follow health protocols to help prevent further transmission of the virus.
