Nigeria to Receive 11,200 Mpox Vaccine Doses from US

Nigeria is set to receive a shipment of 11,200 doses of the Mpox vaccine, donated by the United States and facilitated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

According to a statement published on Gavi’s official website on Friday, the vaccines are expected to arrive in Abuja on Friday as part of a broader effort to combat the Mpox outbreak, which remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

The vaccines, produced by Bavarian Nordic, are part of the initial 305,000 doses being distributed globally under agreements finalized in November.

The Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM), led by Africa CDC, CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF, and WHO, is managing the allocation to affected countries.

Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, praised the US for its contributions, stating, “We thank the US for these donations, which substantially strengthen the global Mpox response. With legal frameworks in place, we can ensure the rapid rollout of additional pledged doses.”

In addition to the shipment to Nigeria, future allocations include 273,000 doses for the Democratic Republic of Congo and 19,600 doses for Rwanda in 2024. Gavi has also provided emergency funding of $2.7 million to the DRC and $1.5 million to Rwanda to support vaccine deployment.

This upcoming shipment builds on an earlier US donation of 10,000 doses received by Nigeria in August, making it the first African country to receive Mpox vaccines.Since then, vaccination campaigns have been rolled out across seven states.

Globally, nearly 900,000 doses have been distributed in the first round of allocations to nine African countries most affected by the outbreak. By the end of 2024, an estimated six million doses will be available from multiple sources.

Dawn O’Connell, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the US, emphasized the importance of international collaboration, saying, “Viruses don’t respect borders, and both international and domestic Mpox coordination remains a top priority for ASPR.”

Gavi’s First Response Fund, established in response to lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, will cover delivery costs for the facilitated doses and ensure timely support for countries in need.

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