By Clement Adeyi, Abuja
Nigeria and several other countries recently hit by the Monkey Pox (Mpox) outbreak stand to benefit from a $135m funding plan by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The organisation said the Fund was necessary because it has launched a global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of Mpox through coordinated global, regional, and national efforts.
This follows the WHO Director-General’s declaration of a public health emergency of international concern on August 14.
Although the current plan is subject to input from WHO’s member states, who were briefed on it on August 23 and August 23, it covers the six-month period from September 2024 to February 2025.
During the period, a $135m funding need is envisioned for the response by WHO, member states, and partners, including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), of which Nigeria is a member of communities and researchers, among others.
The plan, which builds on the temporary recommendations and standing recommendations issued by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, focuses on implementing comprehensive surveillance, prevention, readiness, and response strategies; advancing research and equitable access to medical countermeasures like diagnostic tests and vaccines; minimising animal-to-human transmission; and empowering communities to participate in outbreak prevention and control actively.
To interrupt transmission chains, strategic vaccination efforts will focus on individuals at the highest risk, including close contacts of recent cases and healthcare workers.
The global level will emphasize strategic leadership, timely evidence-based guidance, and access to medical countermeasures for the most at-risk groups in affected countries.
WHO said it works with a wide range of international, regional, national, and local partners and networks to enhance coordination across key areas of preparedness, readiness, and response. This includes engagement with the ACT-Accelerator Principals group, the Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response, the R&D Blueprint for Epidemics, and the interim Medical Counter Measures Network (i-MCM Net).
“The Mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries can be controlled and stopped.
“Doing so requires a comprehensive and coordinated action plan between international agencies and national and local partners, civil society, researchers and manufacturers, and our Member States. This SPRP provides that plan based on equity, global solidarity, community empowerment, human rights, and coordination across sectors,” said Dr Ghebreyesus.
*Nigeria’s Mpox cases hit 39
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said 39 confirmed cases and zero deaths from Mpox have been recorded across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, made the revelation at a press briefing earlier in the month on the declaration of Mpox as a public health emergency of international concern.
He said the NCDC is intensifying surveillance across Nigeria to detect and respond to new cases swiftly.
According to Idris, the NCDC, all port health services across all five international airports, 10 seaports, and 51 land/foot crossing borders are on high alert.
He added that some states, including Lagos, Enugu, Kano, Rivers, Cross-River, Akwa-Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have also been highly alert.
WHO recently declared the Mpox surge in Africa a global public health emergency, worried by the rise in cases in DRC and the spread to nearby countries.
The WHO called a meeting of experts to study the outbreak and make a recommendation to Dr Ghebreyesus.
“Today, the emergency committee met and advised me that, in its view, the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice,” Tedros told a press conference.
“This is something that should concern us all. In the days and weeks ahead, WHO is committed to coordinating the global response, working closely with each affected country, and leveraging our on-the-ground presence to prevent transmission, treat those infected, and save lives.”
The decision comes after the African Union’s health watchdog declared its public health emergency over the growing outbreak.
Mpox has swept through the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the virus formerly called monkeypox was first discovered in humans in 1970 and spread to other countries.
Tedros said the more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths reported so far this year in DR Congo have already exceeded last year’s total.
*US donates 10,000 vaccine doses to Nigeria
The United States of America (USA) Government has donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine to Nigeria to prevent smallpox and monkeypox (Mpox).
Jynneos is a vaccine approved by NAFDAC to prevent diseases in adults aged 18 and older who are at risk of infections.
Recall that last Friday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Nigeria had recorded 40 confirmed cases of Mpox out of 830 suspected cases across the country.
During yesterday’s official handover of the vaccine to Nigeria in Abuja, Prof Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, lauded the US government for the gesture.
However, the Minister, who was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, restated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the well-being of Nigerians.
“This is a spirit of cooperation and collaboration through the years, and this vaccine will greatly help us. The Federal Ministry of Health understands the importance of having a healthy nation. So, all the policies we implement and the collaborations are focused on ensuring our citizens’ health,” he said.
“Thank you for the 10,000 doses; we look forward to receiving more. I also want to thank our development partners, USAID, PEPFAR, WHO, UNICEF, and all the UN organisations. Your collaboration is greatly appreciated and will significantly aid those in need,” the Minister said.
“We all recognise the size of our population and must ensure that we address every disease, especially public health concerns. I want to extend our gratitude on this note,” he said.
Mpox is a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease (i.e., an infection transmitted from animals to humans) that occurs sporadically, primarily in remote villages of Central and West Africa near tropical rainforests. It is caused by the pox virus, which belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.
On August 13, 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared Mpox a public health emergency of continental security, acting under its mandate to address significant public health threats.
