Nigeria postpones mpox Nigeria has indefinitely postponed the planned Mpox vaccination rollout, amid a steady increase in confirmed and suspected cases across the country.
The vaccination against the virus which the Africa Centre for Disease Control warns is still not under control, was originally set to begin on October 8, 2024, utilizing the 10,000,000 doses of Jynneos vaccines donated by the United States in August.
However, an official from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) confirmed the postponement to BusinessDay but did not provide reasons.
“The vaccination has been postponed indefinitely, but plans are in top gear, once we get a confirmed date it will be communicated”, the official said.
Mpox, a viral disease related to smallpox, is transmitted to humans from animals. Its prevention is through vaccination.
Nigeria has seen a steady increase in Mpox cases according to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The cumulative figures for 2024 show that 84 confirmed cases and 1,237 suspected cases have been reported so far.
The World Health Organisation Multi-country outbreak of mpox, External situation report #39 – publushed October, 6 2024 listed Nigeria among the most affected countries alongside the Democratic Republic of the Congo with over 5610 confirmed cases and Burundi.
The Nigeria Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reports that 54 new suspected Mpox cases were recorded in Nigeria during Week 39 of 2024, and the number of confirmed cases increased, with six new confirmations in the same week in 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Read also: NCDC records six new confirmed cases of Mpox
To bolster response to the outbreak, the US government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), donated 10,000 doses of Jynneos vaccine mpox vaccine to Nigeria The vaccine is a two-dose primary series for use in persons who have never received smallpox vaccine and a single booster for individuals previously vaccinated with a smallpox vaccine
Ambassador Richard Mills said the donation was timely and will reach the affected areas across the country and those who are most vulnerable to mpox infection. “We encourage the Government of Nigeria to continue to mobilize domestic resources to secure more vaccines to combat mpox”, Mills had urged.
Upon receipt of the vaccines, the Nigerian government scheduled the vaccination excercise october 8 to align with the 3-6 weeks period from vaccine reciept for the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to conclude the regulatory procedures of sampling, traceability and lab analysis.
The vaccination plan of the NPHCDA targeted 4,750 high-risk individuals, including close contacts of Mpox cases, healthcare workers, and persons with compromised immune systems, in five priority states: Bayelsa, Edo, Cross River, Lagos, and Rivers.
The 9,980 available doses were to be split evenly, with each individual receiving two doses 28 days apart.
However, the indefinite delay has raised convens over Nigeria’s ability to control the spread.
Adaobi Onyechi, a public health expert diaspora vaccination remains the best way to control the spread of the virus. She expressed concerns over Nigeria importing the deadlier clade 1 strain of the virus without adequate protection.
Read also: WHO prequalifies the first vaccine against mpox
The virus has two subtypes of the virus: clade 1 and clade 2.The deadlier clade 1 has been endemic in the Congo Basin in central Africa for decades.
Onyechi regretted that Nigeria was being complacent with the vaccines received amid vaccine scarcity globally.
Across Africa, mpox cases are also rising and spreading. Ghana has confirmed mpox virus growing a list of countries affected by the current mpox outbreak and making it the 16th country, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) said.
The number of mpox cases in Africa have surged 177%, and deaths have increased 38.5% compared with the same period in 2023, data from the Africa CDC showed.
So far this year, the Africa CDC reports that more than 34,000 suspected cases of the disease, caused by both clades have been reported across Africa, more than triple the number recorded at the same time in 2023.
Over 860 people have died from some 34,297 cases recorded across Africa since January, Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa CDC said at a press briefing last week Thursday.
The Africa CDC expressed concern at the briefin that the epidemic is “not under control” , adding that cases were still increasing in several countries.
The Africa CDC warned that Mpox continues to pose a serious threat, particularly to vulnerable groups such as children, individuals with compromised immune systems, and those living in areas with limited healthcare access.
The DRC has successfully launched its Mpox vaccination campaign in two high-priority provinces to control the Mpox outbreak and safeguard vulnerable populations across the country with 265,000 doses of the MVA-BN Mpox vaccines, donated by the European Union.
Africa CDC declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) in August 2024, shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
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