Nigeria will receive 11,200 doses of mpox vaccine today, says Gavi

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, says Nigeria will receive 11,200 doses of mpox vaccine donated by the US government today.

In a statement on Friday, Gavi said this follows agreements it signed in November to facilitate the donation of 305,000 doses of mpox vaccine to support the global and continental response.

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

The vaccine alliance said the doses are part of the 899,000 doses allocated through the Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) for mpox first round to nine African countries hardest hit by the mpox outbreak.

“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 (CEPI), Gavi, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO),” the statement reads.

“Nearly 6 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 utilising the First Response Fund in September, a month after public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) was declared.”

Commenting on the agreement, Sania Nishtar, GAVI CEO, thanked 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,” he said.

Gavi said it would also use the first response fund to cover the delivery costs of the doses it procures or facilitates.