The Government of the United States of America has donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine to Nigeria, for protection against mpox.
Speaking during the official handover of the mpox vaccine yesterday in Abuja, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, said the vaccine will be of great help to Nigeria while thanking the US Government for the donation.
Represented by the permanent secretary of the ministry, Daju Kachollom, the minister said the ministry understands the importance of having a healthy nation, adding that all the policies implemented and the collaborations are focused on ensuring citizens’ health.
“Thank you for the 10,000 doses, and we look forward to receiving more. I also want to thank our development partners, USAID, PEPFAR, WHO, UNICEF, and all the UN organisations. Your collaboration is greatly appreciated, and this will significantly aid those in need.
“We all recognise the size of our population, and we must ensure that we address every disease, especially those that pose public health concerns. On this note, I would like to extend our gratitude,” he said.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared mpox a public health emergency of continental security on August 13, 2024.
On Friday last week, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) confirmed 40 cases of mpox out of 830 suspected cases reported across the country.
According to the centre, the confirmed cases are spread across 12 to 13 states, with significant numbers in the South-South, South-East, Lagos, Ogun, and some states in the north.
Mpox is a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease (i.e., disease of animals transmitted from animals to humans) that is endemic in several African countries including the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa.
The mpox virus can spread both from animal to human and from human to human. Animal-to-human transmission may occur by direct contact with the blood, body, fluids, skin or mucosal lesions of infected animals (e.g., monkeys, squirrels, and rodents) through a bite, scratch, handling of, or eating inadequately.
The symptom of the illness include fever, headache, body aches, weakness, swollen lymph nodes (glands) and a rash.