The government of the United States of America donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine to Nigeria on Tuesday.
Jynneos is a vaccine approved by the Food and Drug
Administration for the prevention of smallpox and mpox in adults aged 18 years
and older who are at risk of mpox infection.
Speaking during the official handover of the mpox vaccine to
Nigeria in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof
Muhammad Pate, thanked the US government for the donation and stated that the
Federal Government is committed to improving the well-being of Nigerians.
Pate, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry,
Daju Kachollom, said, “This is a spirit of cooperation and collaboration
through the years, and this vaccine will be of great help to us. The Federal
Ministry of Health understands the importance of having a healthy nation, so
all the policies that we implement and the collaborations are focused on
ensuring our citizens’ health.
“The Minister emphasises that all health matters are
important to him, and Nigeria is very fortunate to have such a dedicated
Coordinating Minister and Dr Tunji Alausa as the Minister of State for Health.
Together, we are transforming the health sector.
“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.”
Mpox is a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease (i.e. an
infection transmitted from animals to humans) that occurs sporadically,
primarily in remote villages of Central and West Africa, near tropical
rainforests. It is caused by the mpox virus, which belongs to the Orthopoxvirus
genus in the family Poxviridae.
The Orthopoxvirus genus also includes the variola virus (the
cause of smallpox), the vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox eradication
vaccine), and the cowpox virus (used in earlier smallpox vaccines). Following
the eradication of smallpox, the mpox virus has emerged as the most significant
Orthopoxvirus.
On August 13, 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control
and Prevention declared mpox a public health emergency of continental security,
acting under its mandate to address significant public health threats.
As of last Friday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
and Prevention reported that Nigeria had recorded a total of 40 confirmed cases
of mpox out of 830 suspected cases across the country.
Details to follow…
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