FG sets Oct. 8 as the tentative date for mpox vaccination

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has announced that the mpox vaccination will tentatively begin on October 8.

The Head of NPHCDA, Mr. Remi Adeleke, who disclosed this exclusively to our correspondent on Friday, also stated that the vaccine deployment will begin from October 3 to 6, 2024.

On August 13, 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared Mpox a continental public health emergency, exercising its authority to respond to major public health crises.

According to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 48 confirmed Mpox cases were identified out of 868 suspected cases, spanning 35 local government areas across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Persecondnews recalls that Nigeria received a donation of 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine from the US government on Tuesday.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Jynneos vaccine to prevent smallpox and mpox in adults 18 years and older who are at risk of mpox infection.

Mpox is a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease (i.e., an infection transmitted from animals to humans) that occurs sporadically, primarily 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 family Poxviridae.

Adeleke said: “The date for vaccine deployment based on the current chronogram is from October 3 to 6, 2024, time to align with the three to six-week period from vaccine receipt on August 27 for NAFDAC to conclude the regulatory procedures of sampling, traceability, and lab analysis.

“The tentative implementation date is October 8, 2024.

“Due to limited available doses (9,980) of the Jynneos MPox vaccine, the quantities will be slit evenly (1,996 doses) across the five states for implementation.

“Specific states for implementation are being evaluated based on the current trend of cases in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Adeleke also mentioned that the target population for the vaccination exercise is 4,750 people in the five states, who will be given two doses of the vaccine, spaced 28 days apart.

On the strategy to deploy, the head of the PRU said two sites per state are to be identified for vaccination.

He said:”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 further explained that the service delivery team is still determining the additional doses of the Mpox vaccine to be received to maximize the country’s benefit from the Africa CDC’s planned donation.