The Federal Government has received 10,000 doses of the Mpox vaccine from the United States Government to support its efforts in containing the outbreak of the disease in the country.
The vaccines were handed over to the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NPHCDA, by the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, on Monday.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Ambassador Richard Mills said, “We are pleased to know that this is a timely donation that will reach the affected areas across the country and those who are most vulnerable to mpox infection.”
He encouraged the Federal Government to mobilise domestic resources to secure more vaccines to combat the outbreak.
“We encourage the Government of Nigeria to continue to mobilize domestic resources to secure more vaccines to combat mpox,” said Mills.
The vaccines will be distributed to five states with the highest burden of mpox cases, namely Bayelsa, Edo, Cross River, Lagos, and Rivers.
According to the NPHCDA, the vaccines will be administered to high-risk individuals, including close contacts of mpox cases and frontline healthcare workers, with provisions for reactive vaccination in other states as needed.
Addressing safety concerns, Ambassador Mills stated, “Yes, the vaccine is safe. Safety tests have been conducted during clinical trials, and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, reviewed the results of these trials before granting approval for the use of the vaccines in Nigeria.”
The vaccines will be rolled out for distribution in the coming weeks after NAFDAC concludes its ongoing tests which would span between four and six weeks.
Nigeria is the first African country to receive the doses in response to the mpox outbreak.
The donation is part of the US government’s efforts to support Nigeria in combating the mpox outbreak.
“USAID will continue to provide technical support and collaborate with the Government of Nigeria to improve prevention, preparedness, detection, response, and resilience to infectious disease outbreaks.,” a statement by the US Mission in Nigeria said.
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