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On August 27, the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), donated 10,000 doses of the mpox (formerly referred to as “Monkeypox”) vaccine to the Government of Nigeria to support its efforts in responding to the current mpox outbreak.
Mpox is an infectious viral disease that occurs in humans and animals. It can be transmitted through close contact including sexual interactions. The prevention of mpox is through vaccination. Individuals of 18 years of age and older are determined to be at high risk for mpox infection and highly recommended to take the vaccine.
The vaccine is a two-dose primary series for use in persons who have never received smallpox vaccine and a single booster for individuals previously vaccinated with a smallpox vaccine.
Ambassador Richard Mills, speaking at the event to hand over the vaccines to the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, said “We are pleased to know that this is a timely donation that will reach the affected areas across the country and those who are most vulnerable to mpox infection.” He continued, “We encourage the Government of Nigeria to continue to mobilize domestic resources to secure more vaccines to combat mpox.”
The Government of Nigeria has prioritized five states (Bayelsa, Edo, Cross-River, Lagos, and Rivers) with the highest burden of mpox cases. The vaccines will be given to those most at risk of mpox including close contacts of mpox cases and frontline healthcare workers with a provision for reactive vaccination in other states as the need arises.
When questioned on the safety of the vaccine, Ambassador Mills remarked, “Yes, the vaccine is safe. Safety tests have been conducted during 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.”
USAID will continue to provide technical support and collaborate with the Government of Nigeria to improve prevention, preparedness, detection, response, and resilience to infectious disease outbreaks. USAID is also supporting the Government of Nigeria with strengthening primary health care and routine immunization systems as well as supporting overall systems strengthening including health, education, nutrition, governance systems, and the rule of law.
