Mpox: Nigeria postpones vaccination campaign as cases in Africa surge 500%

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Nigeria has postponed its planned vaccination campaign following a 500 percent increase in Mpox cases across Africa compared to the previous year.

According to new data released Thursday by Africa’s main disease control centre (Africa CDC) on Thursday, “The situation is not yet under control, we are still on the upward trend generally,” said Ngashi Ngongo from Africa CDC during a news briefing.

“Mauritius has become the 19th country affected by the current #Mpox outbreak, while #Nigeria postpones its planned vaccination campaign. Vaccination rates in #DRC and #Rwanda have been at least 100%, but access to child-friendly vaccines remains a pressing challenge. Since January 2024, confirmed Mpox cases have surged by 500% compared to 2023,” it said in the statement.

The group did not specify the reasons behind Nigeria’s decision to delay the planned vaccination campaign.

Following the outbreak, the World Health Organization declared Mpox a global health emergency in mid-August after scientists identified a new strain of the virus spreading from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.

The statistics are alarming: 19 African countries have reported over 48,000 suspected Mpox cases and 1,048 deaths so far this year. Central Africa has been the most severely affected, accounting for approximately 86% of all cases and nearly all deaths (99.5%) in the region.

“We need to continue mobilising the political engagement and also mobilizing the financial support that is critical to get the current outbreak under control,” Ngongo said.

“We do not want this Mpox, especially the clade 1b, to become another sexually transmitted pandemic, which would be much more severe than COVID-19.”

The virus can spread through close contact with others, including during sexual activity.

Scientists have detected a new strain, known as clade Ib, in several European countries, including Sweden, Germany, and the United Kingdom.