In the past three weeks, 48 new cases of monkeypox have been reported in Nigeria.
In a post on its website on Saturday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed the development.
According to the agency, between August 8 and August 14, the cases were reported in 16 states.
Lagos State led the list of new infections with 15 cases, followed by Abia with five cases and Ogun with five.
Three cases each were reported in Benue, Edo, Rivers, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); two cases each were reported in Bayelsa and Ondo; one case each was reported in Cross River, Anambra, Gombe, Imo, Katsina, Oyo, and Osun.
The NCDC added that the latest infections raised the number of cases in Nigeria since the beginning of the year to 220 with 29 states affected.
“Out of the 220 infections, males accounted for 144 cases, while females had 76.
“Four monkeypox deaths had so far been recorded in four states – Delta, Lagos, Ondo and Akwa Ibom.
“12 persons have been killed by monkeypox in Nigeria since September 2017,” it stated.