The specific states for vaccine implementation are being selected based on current Mpox case trends in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
Abuja, Nigeria – The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has announced that vaccination against Mpox in Nigeria will commence on October 8, 2024.
This was disclosed by the Head of the Public Relations Unit at the NPHCDA, Remi Adeleke, in an exclusive interview on Friday.
According to Adeleke, vaccine deployment is scheduled to take place between October 3 and 6, 2024. This timeline aligns with the three to six-week period required by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to complete regulatory procedures, including sampling, traceability, and laboratory analysis following the receipt of the vaccines on August 27, 2024.
Adeleke revealed that due to the limited supply of 9,980 doses of the Jynneos Mpox vaccine, the available doses will be distributed evenly across five states. Each state will receive 1,996 doses. The specific states for vaccine implementation are being selected based on current Mpox case trends in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
The target population for this vaccination campaign includes close contacts of Mpox cases, healthcare workers, and individuals with compromised immune systems. A total of 4,750 persons across the five states will receive two doses of the vaccine, administered 28 days apart.
Adeleke also outlined the strategy for vaccine deployment, which includes the identification of two vaccination sites per state. These will consist of fixed posts at designated infectious disease referral centers and special teams targeting communities with close contacts or high-risk groups. Only individuals aged 18 and above will be eligible for vaccination under the current strategy.
The NPHCDA is still determining the additional doses of the Mpox vaccine that Nigeria will receive, with ongoing efforts to secure more supplies through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) donation program.
Earlier this week, the United States government donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine to Nigeria. Jynneos is an FDA-approved vaccine for the prevention of smallpox and Mpox in adults aged 18 years and older who are at risk of Mpox infection.
Mpox is a rare viral zoonotic disease primarily occurring in remote villages of Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests. It is caused by the Mpox virus, which belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family.
The Africa CDC recently declared the disease a public health emergency of continental security, underscoring the severity of the outbreak.
Data from the NCDC indicates that Nigeria has recorded 48 confirmed cases of the deadly disease out of 868 suspected cases across 35 local government areas in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
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