Africa to Get 500,000 Mpox Vaccines as GAVI, Bavarian Nordic Reach Agreement
Korede Abdullah
2 min read
The Vaccine Alliance, GAVI, has secured a significant 500,000 doses of the Mpox vaccine to support African countries battling the outbreak. This crucial shipment is expected to arrive this year, bringing the much-needed relief to the continent. Nigeria has already received a donation of 10,000 doses of the Jynneos Mpox vaccine from the U.S. Government.
As of the end of week 35 of 2024, a total of 26,544 cases have been reported, of which 5,732 were confirmed and 724 resulted in death, across 15 African Union Member States in all five regions of Africa, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Mpox outbreak has resulted in 26,544 confirmed cases, with 5,732 confirmed and 724 reported deaths across 15 African Union member states. The continent’s case fatality rate stands at 2.73%.
In Nigeria, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported 67 confirmed cases from 1,031 suspected cases across 47 local government areas in 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Fortunately, no fatalities have been recorded.
GAVI’s vaccine procurement was made possible through an agreement with Bavarian Nordic, utilizing the Advance Purchase Agreement (APA) funded by GAVI’s First Response Fund. This fund was established post-COVID-19 pandemic to ensure rapid access to scarce vaccine supplies during future health emergencies.
The MVA-BN vaccine received prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO) on September 13. Bavarian Nordic is set to supply the vaccines pending the signing of a supply agreement with UNICEF, GAVI’s alliance partner.
“The First Response Fund was designed in collaboration with Gavi donors and partners specifically to provide rapid early funding for emergencies such as mpox.
“Using it today to fund the first direct transaction for vaccines in support of equitable access and the global response, just over a month since mpox was declared a public health emergency, takes us a long way toward our goal of protecting those most at risk.
“We are committed to working with affected governments and our partners to turn these vaccines into vaccinations as quickly and effectively as possible and, over time, to build a global vaccine stockpile if sufficient funding is secured for Gavi’s work through 2030.
“We thank our donors for enabling us to act rapidly by committing funds to the First Response Fund before an emergency occurred,” said Dr Sania Nishtar, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi.
Mpox Outbreak Snapshot:
Total Confirmed Cases: 26,544
Confirmed Cases in Nigeria: 67
Case Fatality Rate (CFR): 2.73%
Vaccine Doses Secured by GAVI: 500,000
Donated Vaccine Doses to Nigeria:_ 10,000
This development brings hope to African countries struggling to contain the Mpox outbreak. With vaccines on the way, health officials are optimistic about mitigating the spread of the disease.
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