The Access and Allocation Mechanism for Mpox has allocated 899,000 vaccine doses to nine African countries, including Nigeria, to help control the recent Mpox outbreaks.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced this in a statement on Thursday.
The vaccines will be distributed based on each country’s need and readiness to manage the outbreaks effectively.
The countries set to receive the vaccines are Nigeria, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is hardest hit, will receive the largest share—85% of the doses.
Africa CDC said the vaccine allocation is supported by several international donors, including Canada, the European Union, Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance), and the United States. It added that vaccination is part of a broader response strategy that includes testing, effective clinical care, infection prevention, and community engagement to reduce transmission and contain outbreaks.
The Africa CDC noted, “For most countries, the rollout of Mpox vaccines will be a new undertaking. Implementing targeted vaccination requires additional resources.”
In August, Nigeria received 10,000 doses of the Jynneos Mpox vaccine from the United States.
Additional doses from multiple donors are expected before the end of 2024, with over 5.85 million Mpox vaccine doses anticipated for the region by year-end.
