Mpox: Nigeria sets date to commence vaccination, targets five states

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has tentatively set 8 October 2024 as the beginning of Mpox vaccination.

According to Remi Adeleke, the head of the public relations unit at the NPHCDA, who spoke with Punch, the vaccine deployment will begin from 3 to 6 October.

Mr Adeleke explained that this timeline is to allow the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to conclude regulatory “procedures of sampling, traceability and lab analysis.”

He noted that due to the limited availability of the Jynneos MPox vaccine (9,980 doses), the quantities will be split evenly across five states, with 1,996 doses allocated to each state for implementation.

He did not mention the states. However, he said the states are being evaluated based on the current trend of cases in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

Mr Adeleke further explained that the vaccination drive aims to reach 4,750 individuals across the five states. Each person will receive two doses of the vaccine administered 28 days apart.

The targeted groups include close contact of Mpox cases, healthcare workers, and individuals with low immune systems.

US donates to Nigeria

On 27 August, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, handed over 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine donated by the US government to the NPHCDA’s Executive Director, Muyi Aina.

Jynneos is a vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration for preventing smallpox and Mpox in adults aged 18 years and older at risk of Mpox infection.

This made Nigeria the first African country to obtain vaccines to combat the spread of the new strain of Mpox virus.

The NPHCDA director-general had clarified that the distribution plan for the vaccine doses received from the US government would prioritise high-risk individuals, including frontline health workers and residents of states with the highest number of cases, primarily in the southern region.

“We believe our frontline health workers are at particular risk. We are also going to prioritise states that have had the highest number of cases. Many of them are in the south.

“But of course, we are going to have to work with the states to develop state-specific plans, you know, to make sure that the vaccine is appropriately deployed,” Mr Aina said.

Deployment strategy

On the deployment strategy, Mr Adeleke said two sites per state will be identified for vaccination.

“Fixed posts and special teams, fixed posts at sites within identified infectious diseases referral centres, and special teams to target communities where necessary for close contacts or identified risk groups vaccination.

“Two sites per state to be identified for vaccination. Only clients aged 18 and above will receive the vaccines based on the current strategy,” he said.

READ ALSO: Mpox: NCDC reports 48 comfirmed cases across 20 states, FCT

Mpox in Nigeria

The latest data from the NCDC shows that Nigeria has recorded 48 confirmed cases of Mpox out of 868 suspected cases across 35 local government areas in 20 states and the FCT.

Ogun, Lagos, Bayelsa, Ekiti and Osun topped the list of states with the most suspected cases. At the same time, Enugu, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Benue are the first five states with the most confirmed cases.

On 13 August, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared Mpox a public health emergency of continental security, acting under its mandate to address significant public health threats.