Vaccination efforts against smallpox in monkeys have commenced in Nigeria, beginning in the national capital, Abuja. This initiative is launching one month later than initially scheduled.
The vaccination process initiated at the Federal Medical Centre saw 30 individuals receiving their doses on the first day of the campaign.
Hafsat Abdullaziz, a representative from the Institute of Virology, stated, “This is not a mass vaccination, but rather a targeted approach aimed at health workers and individuals with compromised immune systems, such as those living with HIV.”
The initial phase of the vaccination program is set to last for 10 days, focusing on Abuja and seven other states where previous cases have been reported, including the oil-producing states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Rivers. An official from the Federal Ministry of Health indicated that the campaign would subsequently expand to additional states, with plans to vaccinate all individuals who have had contact with confirmed cases of the disease.
The first mpox vaccine received qualification from the World Health Organization (WHO) in September 2024. Nigeria has obtained 10,000 doses of the mpox vaccine, facilitated by supplies from the United States, following the WHO’s declaration of the monkeypox outbreak on the continent as an emergency. Since the start of 2024, Nigeria has documented 94 confirmed cases of the disease, with no reported fatalities.
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