Nigeria has become the first country in the continent (excluding clinical trial regions) to receive vaccines against the Monkey pox virus (mpox).

The West African Nation which has received 10,000 doses of the vaccine is now positioning itself to scale up the fight against a disease that has been declared a public health emergency by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

According to Africa CDC, 13 AU member countries have recorded 17 541 cases and 517 deaths in 2024 alone. Compared to the same period in 2023, these numbers indicate a 160% and 19% increase in cases and deaths, respectively.

The outbreak is rapidly morphing into a significant challenge both continentally and globally.

The vaccines donated to Nigeria by the United States Government will be deployed in regions with the highest disease burden. They will be administered in a 2-dose series, prioritizing high-risk individuals, particularly healthcare workers and those who have had close contact with mpox patients.

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Nigeria’s Health Minister, Hon Muhammad Ali Pate, has acknowledged that, although the vaccines are a welcome development, they are not a complete solution to the outbreak.

Additional strategies will need to be implemented.

“We will continue to strengthen surveillance and be vigilant to prevent and control mpox.”

Currently 2 vaccines have been licensed for use in protection against mpox; Imvamune® and ACAM2000® manufactured by Bavarian Nordic and Emergent Bio Solutions respectively.

Nigeria received a batch of Imvamune®.

In preparation of the roll out the country’s medicines regulator, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has moved fast to grant emergency use authorization

About the Monkeypox virus

Monkeypox is a disease caused by the Mpox virus, a genus of the Orthopoxvirus and having two distinct subtypes referred as genetic clades I and II.

Clade I is endemic in Central Africa, while II in West Africa.

Notably, the ongoing global outbreak is due to the clade II subtype.

Typical symptoms of the disease include mucosal lesions, rash, muscle aches, headache and fever. Transmission occurs through physical contact with infected humans or animals, as well as contact with infected surfaces.