FG to begin Mpox vaccination on October 8 amid limited supply

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has announced that the tentative date for the commencement of Mpox vaccinations in Nigeria is October 8, 2024.

Remi Adeleke, the Head of the Public Relations Unit at NPHCDA, disclosed this information, stating that the vaccine deployment is scheduled to begin between October 3 and 6, 2024. This timeline aligns with the three to six weeks required for the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to complete regulatory procedures, including sampling, traceability, and laboratory analysis, following the vaccine’s arrival on August 27, 2024.

Given the limited supply of 9,980 doses of the Jynneos Mpox vaccine, the available doses will be distributed evenly across five states, with each state receiving 1,996 doses.

The total population targeted in these states is 4,750 individuals, who will each receive two doses of the vaccine, administered 28 days apart. The targeted groups include close contacts of Mpox cases, healthcare workers, and individuals with low immune status.

Adeleke further explained that two vaccination sites per state will be identified, focusing on fixed posts at infectious disease referral centers and deploying special teams to target communities where necessary.

The vaccination campaign will be limited to clients aged 18 and above, based on the current strategy. The NPHCDA is also coordinating with the Africa CDC to determine additional vaccine doses that may be available through planned donations.

Earlier this week, the United States government donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine to Nigeria. This vaccine, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is designed to prevent both smallpox and Mpox in adults aged 18 and older who are at risk of infection. Mpox, a rare viral zoonotic disease, primarily affects remote villages in Central and West Africa and is caused by the Mpox virus, which belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family.

In response to the ongoing public health threat, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared Mpox a public health emergency of continental security on August 13, 2024. Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that Nigeria has recorded 48 confirmed cases of Mpox out of 868 suspected cases across 35 local government areas in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory.