Lagos, Jun 12 (IANS): Confirmed cases of monkeypox in Nigeria have risen to 31 as more cases were reported across the most populous African country, a report by health authorities said.

In its latest monkeypox situation report, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control said on Saturday that the country has recorded since January 110 suspected cases in total and 31 confirmed cases from 12 states, Xinhua news agency reported.

A monkeypox national emergency operations center was activated in May in response to the risk assessment conducted, which put Nigeria at high risk for a monkeypox outbreak, the report added.

Symptoms of monkeypox include sudden fever, headache, body pain, weakness, sore throat, enlargement of glands in the neck and under the jaw, followed by the appearance of a rash (often solid or fluid-filled at the onset) on the face, palms, soles of the feet, genitals, and other parts of the body.

The World Health Organisation said that the sudden appearance of monkeypox in several countries around the world shows that the virus has been spreading for a while outside of West and Central African countries, where it is usually found.