US Donates 10,000 Doses of Mpox Vaccine to Nigeria

The United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has donated 10,000 doses of the mpox vaccine (formerly called “monkeypox”) to its Nigerian counterpart to support the nation’s ongoing efforts to respond to the current mpox outbreak.

Mpox is an infectious viral disease that affects humans and animals. It can be transmitted through close contact, including sexual interactions. Mpox is prevented by vaccination. Individuals 18 years of age and older are considered at high risk for Mpox infection and are strongly recommended to be vaccinated.

The vaccine is a two-dose primary series for use in people who have never received smallpox vaccine and a single booster for people previously vaccinated with smallpox vaccine.

US Ambassador Richard Mills, speaking at the event to deliver the vaccines to the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, said: “We are pleased to know that this is a timely donation that will reach affected areas across the country and those who are most vulnerable to mpox infection.”

He added: “We encourage the Nigerian government to continue to mobilize domestic resources to secure more vaccines to fight mpox.”

It was reported that the Federal Government has prioritized five states (Bayelsa, Edo, Cross-River, Lagos and Rivers) with the highest burden of mpox cases. It is expected that the vaccines will be administered to those most at risk of mpox, including close contacts of mpox cases and frontline health workers, with a provision for reactive vaccination in other states if needed.

When asked about the safety of the vaccine, Mills said: “Yes, the vaccine is safe. Safety tests were conducted in clinical trials and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control reviewed the results of these trials before granting approval for the use of the vaccines in Nigeria.”

In a statement released Tuesday, USAID pledged to continue providing technical support and working with the Nigerian government to improve prevention, preparedness, detection, response and resilience to infectious disease outbreaks.

It said it is also supporting the Nigerian government in strengthening primary health care and routine immunization systems, as well as supporting the strengthening of overall systems, including health, education, nutrition, governance systems and the rule of law.

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