The World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Center for Disease Control have begun developing Mpox vaccination plans for 17 African countries with high infection rates.
The Africa CDC revealed this in a statement issued on Saturday.
Experts from the two public health bodies met with representatives from each of the 17 countries in Brazzaville from Tuesday to Thursday to create preparation and deployment plans for the Mpox vaccine.
Health experts and partners met in Brazzaville to guide country representatives in creating a vaccination plan that ensures efficient use of available doses.
The Africa CDC, in its statement, said: “Given the current difficulties in controlling the outbreak using traditional public health measures, the need for effective preparation and deployment plans for the Mpox vaccine has become urgent.”
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Newslodgeearlier reported on the allocation of 899,000 doses of the Mpox vaccine to nine African countries, including Nigeria, and another 5.85 million doses for the African region.
Doses will be received and allocated by the Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) for Mpox, a framework managed by WHO to ensure equitable access to vaccines, treatments and other health resources during public health emergencies.
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The Africa CDC said the vaccination rollout guidance was created in anticipation of the vaccine being delivered to regions and each of the countries with cases of the virus.
According to the agency, countries requested support to identify and map Mpox hotspots based on local epidemiology and plan specific vaccination strategies to reach populations at risk of contracting the virus.
Limited Mpox Vaccine
By assisting in the creation of the guideline, experts provided current WHO recommendations and a toolkit for developing the Mpox vaccination plan.
The agency said Mpox vaccines are limited globally and its rollout in Africa has been delayed and will likely remain limited for some time.
According to the agency, this requires the country to be prudent and intentional in the rollout and administration of available vaccines.
“The rollout of the Mpox vaccine was delayed on the continent and supply is likely to remain limited in the short and medium term.”
The Africa CDC also said that the rapid actions of African countries to deploy Mpox vaccines using defined vaccination strategies reflects an extraordinary commitment to protecting the most vulnerable.
“Achieving this progress in a short period of time underlines the ambition and resilience of our member states to stop transmission and safeguard populations at risk.
“This momentum speaks to the power of collaboration across the continent and with our global partners. “Africa CDC remains unwavering in its support, equipping countries with essential tools, guidance and resources to drive impactful progress in Mpox control,” he said.
Currently, Africa has recorded 38,000 suspected cases of Mpox, with more than 1,000 deaths. The majority of these cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In Nigeria, 1,339 suspected cases of Mpox have been recorded in 67 local government areas (LGAs), according to the latest data from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).