11,200 doses of Mpox vaccine expected in Nigeria today

A shipment of 11,200 doses of Mpox vaccine, donated by the United States of America and facilitated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is set to arrive in Abuja, Nigeria, today.

This delivery follows agreements signed in November by Gavi to facilitate the donation of 305,000 doses of Mpox vaccine to support global and continental response efforts.

According to a statement on Gavi’s website, these vaccines are being delivered to countries affected by the upsurge of Mpox, which continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Other Gavi Mpox outbreak support initiatives thus far include emergency funding for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Rwanda, as well as 500,000 directly procured vaccines alongside funding for delivery and other related costs.

“On September 24, the US announced its intention to donate up to one million doses to support the Mpox emergency and began discussions to donate the first 305,000 of those through Gavi,” the statement read.

The doses, manufactured by Bavarian Nordic, have been allocated to affected countries through the Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) for Mpox, led by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi, UNICEF, and the World Health Organisation.

“These doses are part of the 899,000 doses allocated through the AAM first round to nine African countries hardest hit by the Mpox outbreak. Nearly six million vaccine doses from multiple nations and organisations are expected to be available by the end of 2024. This includes 500,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine that Gavi procured utilizing the First Response Fund in September, a month after PHEIC was declared,” the statement further disclosed.

Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, commented on the agreement, saying, “We thank the US for these donations, which substantially strengthen the global Mpox response. In addition to the 500,000 doses that Gavi procured directly in September through our First Response Fund, working with our donors, we now have legal frameworks in place to facilitate a substantial volume of additional pledged doses, which we will work with our partners to ensure are rolled out as quickly as possible.”

The statement noted that Gavi will also use the First Response Fund to cover the delivery costs of the doses it procures or facilitates. This funding was established this year in response to key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The donation through Gavi builds on the U.S. government’s commitment to providing over a million Mpox vaccines to international communities dealing with the current Mpox outbreak,” said Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell. “Viruses don’t respect borders, and both international and domestic Mpox coordination remains a top priority for ASPR.”

The statement added, “As per the AAM, the allocation of the US doses includes the now-shipped and soon-to-be-delivered 11,200 doses to Nigeria. Next year, 273,000 doses are planned for the Democratic Republic of Congo and 19,600 doses for Rwanda. Gavi is in discussion with the US regarding the remaining 695,020 doses, which will be allocated by the AAM when countries are ready to receive them.

“In addition to facilitating donations from the US and Bavarian Nordic, Gavi has provided emergency cash support of $2.7 million to DRC and $1.5 million to Rwanda for the vaccine rollout.”