Nigeria donates 1,000 doses of mpox vaccine to Rwanda

The Nigerian government has donated 1,000 doses of mpox vaccines to Rwanda to support the country in combating an outbreak of the infection.

The donated vaccines are part of the 10,000 doses of Jynneos vaccines that Nigeria received from the United States in August.

Speaking during an interview with BusinessDay, Muyi Aina, executive director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), explained that the federal government decided to assist Rwanda, as they are facing a more urgent situation with active outbreaks, whereas Nigeria has not yet experienced an outbreak.

Read also: US donates 10,000 Mpox vaccine doses to Nigeria

“We don’t have an outbreak yet, but they (Rwanda) are dealing with outbreaks around them and had no access to the vaccine,” Aina said.

He added that Nigeria plans to deploy the remaining vaccines soon, prioritising those most at risk, particularly at border entry points.

The mpox vaccination campaign in Nigeria was initially scheduled to begin on 8th October but was postponed indefinitely despite rising cases.

So far, Nigeria has reported 1,339 suspected cases and 102 confirmed cases, with 26 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), recording at least one confirmed case across 67 Local Government Areas (LGAs).