Customs says importation of used clothes is fueling spread of Monkeypox

The area controller of Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hussein Ejubunu, has warned against the importation of used clothes aka ‘bendown select’ into the country.

This is coming amid the outbreak of Monkeypox in the country. The Customs boss, while speaking on Saturday, October 8, explained that the world is wary of monkeypox whose mode of transmission includes clothing.

He also pointed out that smuggling of used clothes has economic and health implications for Nigerians.

Ejubunu stated that “Customs made a massive discovery of 1,955 bales of used clothing in an abandoned building around the Lagos international trade fair complex.

“We made the discovery and evacuation using combined strategies of intelligence, tact, and enforcement.

“There are serious health implications associated with the use of such clothing. Moreover, it is fueling the spread of Monkeypox in the country.
“It exposes users to skin diseases like scabies, as well as fungal diseases which can be transmitted by wearing unwashed second-hand clothes.
“Used clothing in commercial quantity falls under absolute prohibition.

“They have been seized and we are on the trail of the smugglers to get them arrested,” he added.

It is worth noting that this is coming at a time when the world is wary of monkeypox whose mode of transmission includes clothing. It is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions.