Nigeria has received 10,000 doses of a vaccine to combat mpox, making it the first African country to receive a batch amid the current outbreak of the disease that used to be called monkeypox.
The country began the process to secure the vaccines well before it was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) earlier this month.
Africa has been hit hardest by the recent rapid spread of mpox – and there has been calls for a speedier response by international agencies to such emergencies.
Nigeria, which has confirmed 40 mpox cases this year but says the true number could be more than 700, received its vaccine doses as a donation from the United States (US).
The West African nation has not recorded any deaths from the virus. It has also not recorded any cases of Clade 1b, a new variant in the east of the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) that has also spread to neighbouring countries.
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The DRC, located in central Africa, has recorded more than 18,000 suspected cases of mpox and 615 deaths this year.
There are still no mpox-specific vaccines but smallpox ones work against the disease, and are being manufactured by two pharmaceutical companies.
Nigeria says it will prioritise health workers and at-risk communities in the 13 affected states during the vaccination campaign.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 10 million doses are needed across the continent, with the DRC being the most in need.
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Clade 1b has caused concern among governments, scientists and international health bodies, but it is currently unclear just how deadly and contagious the variant is.
Mpox can be fatal if left untreated and causes symptoms such as fever, muscle aches and lesions across the body.
The process of getting the first jabs to Africa has been slow, with critics saying the WHO’s regulatory process poses a major challenge.
Many low- and middle-income countries rely on the WHO, rather than their own drug regulators, to judge which medications are safe and effective.
