Mpox: Nigeria To Receive 11,200 Doses Of Vaccine

Date:

By Blessing Otobong-Gabriel

Shipment of 11,200 doses of Mpox vaccine, donated by the United States of America and facilitated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will arrived Abuja, yesterday. 

This followed agreements signed in November by Gavi to facilitate the donation of 305,000 doses of Mpox vaccine to support the global and continental response.

This was disclosed on Gavi’s website yesterday. 

It said the vaccines will be delivered to countries affected by the upsurge of Mpox that continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Other Gavi Mpox outbreak support thus far include emergency funding to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Rwanda, and 500,000 directly procured vaccines alongside funding for delivery and other related costs.

“On September 24, the US announced its intention to donate up to one million doses to support the Mpox emergency and began discussions to donate the first 305,000 of those through Gavi.

“The doses, manufactured by Bavarian Nordic, have been allocated to the affected countries through the Access and Allocation Mechanism for Mpox, led by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi, UNICEF and the World Health Organisation.

“These doses are part of the 899,000 doses allocated through AAM’s first round to nine African countries hardest hit by the Mpox outbreak. Nearly six million vaccine doses from multiple nations and organisations are expected to be available by the end of 2024. This includes 500,000 doses of MVA-BN vaccine that Gavi procured utilising the First Response Fund in September, a month after PHEIC was declared,” the statement partly reads.

Commenting on the agreement, the CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Dr Sania Nishtar,  said, “We thank the US for these donations, which substantially strengthened the global Mpox response. In addition to the 500,000 doses that Gavi procured directly in September through our First Response Fund, working with our donors, we now have legal frameworks in place to facilitate a substantial volume of additional pledged doses, which we will work with our partners to ensure are rolled out as quickly as possible.”

The statement also noted that Gavi will use the First Response Fund to cover the delivery costs of the doses it procures or facilitates.

The funding was established this year in response to key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The donation through Gavi builds on the U.S government’s commitment to provide over a million mpox vaccines to international communities dealing with the current mpox outbreak. Viruses don’t respect borders and both international and domestic Mpox coordination remains a top priority,”Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Dawn O’Connell, noted. 

She  said, “As per the AAM, the allocation of the US doses include the now shipped and soon-to-be delivered 11,200 doses to Nigeria. Next year, 273,000 doses are planned for the Democratic Republic of Congo and 19,600 doses for Rwanda. Gavi is in discussion with the US regarding the remaining 695,020 doses, which will be allocated by AAM when countries are ready to receive them.

“In addition to facilitating donations from the US and Bavarian Nordic, Gavi has provided emergency cash support of $2.7 million to Congo and $1.5 million to Rwanda for the vaccine roll-out.”

In August, Nigeria received 10,000 doses of mpox vaccines donated by the USA, becoming the first country in the African region to receive doses to respond to the Mpox outbreak.

In November, the Access and Allocation Mechanism for Mpox allocated an initial 899,000 vaccine doses to nine countries, including Nigeria, across the African region, which have been hard-hit by the current surge.

In mid-November, Mpox vaccination commenced in seven states in the country.

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