Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), yesterday, said There are currently no monkeypox vaccines available in the country.
But official requests have been made to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United States for available vaccines (second or third generation).”
It stated this in response to concerns that the ongoing monkeypox
pandemic might become more fatal, as vaccines, treatments and tests are
unavailable in much of the world, especially Africa and Nigeria.
On implications of the absence of vaccines and treatment for monkeypox in Nigeria and indeed Africa, Adetifa said the current clade found in Nigeria is less virulent and self-limiting. Most people who get it recover, with symptoms lasting between two and three weeks.
He said NCDC’s priority is to procure a therapeutic option to offer those
at high risk of severe symptoms, hospitalisation and death, given its local epidemiology and experience.
The public health physician said, with the world now more interconnected than ever, a drawn-out outbreak of monkeypox in Africa, without adequate medical countermeasures, will eventually have a ripple effect on global health.
On the way forward, Adetifa said sustained support in building capacity
among African countries will help to achieve equitable availability of
vaccines, biomedical innovation, and strengthen public health systems
globally.
