The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine to Nigeria as part of efforts to curb the spread of Mpox. The donation was officially handed over on Tuesday.
Dr. Muyi Aina, Director General of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), announced that the distribution of the vaccines will begin immediately, with priority given to states experiencing the highest number of cases and to frontline workers.
“We are deeply grateful to the US government for this generous support,” Dr. Aina said.
“The vaccines will be used judiciously to help save lives and curb the spread of Mpox across Nigeria.”
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), there have been 39 confirmed cases of Mpox and no reported deaths across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Jide Idris, Director General of the NCDC, revealed this data during a press briefing earlier in the month, marking Mpox as a public health emergency of international concern.
Idris highlighted that the NCDC is intensifying its surveillance efforts nationwide to quickly detect and respond to new cases.
“All port health services across all five international airports, 10 seaports, and 51 land/foot crossing borders are on high alert,” he added.
Additionally, states such as Lagos, Enugu, Kano, Rivers, Cross-River, Akwa-Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, and the FCT have been placed on high alert.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Mpox outbreak in Africa a global public health emergency. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed the declaration following a meeting of the emergency committee.
“This is something that should concern us all,” Dr. Tedros said.
“WHO is committed to coordinating the global response, working closely with affected countries, and leveraging our on-the-ground presence to prevent transmission, treat those infected, and save lives.”
The WHO’s declaration comes amid a surge of Mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and surrounding regions. The outbreak in the DRC has seen over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths this year alone, surpassing the previous year’s total.
The African Union’s health watchdog has also declared a public health emergency over the growing Mpox outbreak, highlighting the severity of the situation in the region.