WHO allocates 899,000 mpox vaccines to Nigeria and 8 African countries amid surges

An initial 899,000 vaccine doses have been allocated to Nigeria and 8 other countries in Africa hit hard by the current mpox surge, the World Health Organization and other health agencies said on Wednesday.

The newly allocated vaccines will go to the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

“The largest number of doses, with 85% of the allocated vaccines, will go to the Democratic Republic of Congo as the most affected country.” the global health agency said.

The allocated vaccines are provided by Canada, Gavi (Vaccine Alliance), the United States and the European Union (including France, Germany, Spain and others), as well as the EU’s Health Emergency Response Agency.

The global health agency said this allocation to 9 countries is an important step towards the coordinated and targeted distribution of vaccines to stop mpox outbreaks.

“For most countries, the introduction of mpox vaccines will be a new initiative. Implementation of targeted vaccination requires additional resources.” The statement says:

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mpox outbreak, largely caused by the rise of the clade Ib viral strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August.

There have been more than 46,000 confirmed and suspected cases of mpox in Africa this year, with more than 1,000 deaths due to the viral disease on the continent, according to the latest figures from the WHO. Opens in a new tab

“This year, 19 countries in Africa have reported mpox, with most of them newly affected by the viral disease.” reports.

Emphasizing the expansion of protection, the global health agency noted that additional doses of vaccines are available to protect more people at risk in affected communities.

“Based on local epidemiology in affected areas, it targets individuals at high risk of severe disease, focusing on areas with the highest incidence of mpox.

“Special attention will be paid to vulnerable populations, including those living with HIV, internally displaced persons, and refugees, due to their increased risk of severe outcomes.” Who said?

vaccine availability

More than 5.85 million vaccine doses are expected to be available in the Mpox Vaccine Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) by the end of 2024, including approximately 900,000 doses allocated.

The procurement includes contributions from many countries and organizations, including the donation of 1.85 million doses of MVA-BN from the European Union, the United States and Canada, the purchase of 500,000 doses of MVA-BN and 500,000 doses from Gavi using the First Response Fund. In addition to UNICEF, another 3 million doses of LC16 vaccine from Japan.

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