The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that Nigeria and eight other African countries benefited from an initial 899,000 vaccine doses allocated to countries hard-hit by the current mpox surge.
The allocated vaccines came from European countries, the United States, Canada and Gavi, a public-private alliance that co-funds vaccine purchases for low-income countries including the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after a new variant of the virus, called clade Ib, spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries.
In September, after facing criticism for moving too slowly on vaccines, the World Health Organization cleared Bavarian Nordic’s (BAVA.CO), vaccine for mpox and said it was considering LC16, made by Japan’s KM Biologics as a potential vaccine option.
The WHO also set up a scheme to help bring mpox vaccines, tests and treatments to the most vulnerable people in the world’s poorest countries, similar to efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The WHO said the Democratic Republic of Congo as the most affected country, will get 85 per cent of the doses of the allocated vaccines.
According to the latest WHO figures there have been more than 46,000 confirmed and suspected cases of mpox in Africa this year, and more than 1,000 deaths in the continent due to the viral illness.
