Nigeria has received a shipment of 10,000 doses of mpox vaccine, becoming the first African country to obtain this vital resource during the current outbreak, previously known as monkeypox. The nation began efforts to acquire these vaccines prior to the recent global health emergency declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The rapid spread of mpox has particularly affected Africa, prompting calls for a more expedited international response. Nigeria, which has confirmed 40 cases this year and estimates the total could be over 700, received these vaccines as a donation from the United States.
The country has reported no deaths related to the virus and has not detected cases of Clade 1b, a new variant identified in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and spreading to nearby regions.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, situated in central Africa, has reported over 18,000 suspected cases of mpox and 615 deaths this year. Although there are no specific vaccines for mpox yet, smallpox vaccines have been shown to be effective and are currently being produced by two pharmaceutical firms.
Nigeria intends to prioritize vaccination for health workers and vulnerable communities across the 13 states affected by the outbreak. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 10 million doses are needed continent-wide, with DR Congo facing the greatest need.
The new Clade 1b variant has raised concerns among governments, scientists, and health organizations, but its precise impact on severity and transmissibility remains uncertain. Mpox, if untreated, can be fatal, with symptoms including fever, muscle aches, and widespread lesions.
The process of delivering vaccines to Africa has faced delays, with critics attributing this to the World Health Organization’s regulatory hurdles. Many low- and middle-income countries rely on the WHO to assess drug safety, but the organization has been criticized for being overly cautious and focused on preserving its reputation. Despite the passage of two years since the previous outbreak involving the Clade 2 variant, the WHO has yet to approve the existing vaccines due to a lack of comprehensive data.
Professor Helen Rees, an advisor to the WHO and Africa CDC, criticized the WHO’s regulatory process as inadequate for emergency situations, suggesting it needs urgent reform. She highlighted that international health organizations must reconsider how they handle approvals when immediate medical interventions are required.
This month, the WHO reached out to vaccine manufacturers to apply for emergency licenses for mpox vaccines, aiming to speed up the approval process—a move that should have been initiated much earlier, according to public health experts.
The WHO is expected to issue emergency licenses for mpox vaccines in September. The first 10,000 vaccines went to Nigeria instead of DR Congo, due to proactive measures taken by Nigerian health officials following the 2022 outbreak.
At a press conference in Abuja to celebrate the arrival of vaccines from Danish company Bavarian Nordic, US Ambassador Richard Mills praised Nigeria for its early response to the outbreak. Additionally, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated 50,000 doses to DR Congo, but the delivery schedule is yet to be announced.
Despite the arrival of the first vaccine shipment, Professor Rees pointed out that the delay could have been reduced if more affluent countries had donated vaccines similarly to the US. She noted that many countries with stockpiles of vaccines should consider sharing them globally during such emergencies.
