A suspected monkey pox patient has committed suicide.
He was one of the 21 patients of suspected monkey-pox being managed at the isolation facility of the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH).
Eleven persons were suspected to have been affected by the disease on October 4 in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebititula Etebu, at a news conference organised by the Ministry of Information, said that the deceased was recovering before the incident.
“It is, however, important to note that the patient was recovering and had improved significantly like other patients.
“All are doing well; 10 have been discharged; seven still on admission and improving.
“His medical history did not suggest any mental illness or features of depression,” the commissioner said.
He stressed that the patient did not die from the suspected monkey-pox disease.
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The commissioner said a committee had been set up to evaluate his past and recent clinical and social history, to determine if there was undisclosed mental illness or personal family problems that could have led to his action.
The commissioner said Bayelsa government was doing everything possible to contain the outbreak of monkey pox disease and ensure all patients received appropriate care and treatment.
He said the police and the family had been duly informed that all due diligence was being followed for the eventual burial of the deceased.
In his remark, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Daniel Iworiso, also pointed out that the deceased did not die of monkey pox.
His words: “This is to inform the general public that the patient did not die of the disease but committed suicide.
“We want to tell our people not to panic; government is on top of the situation.
“We should try and stay away from bush meat, monkey precisely.”
