The Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) for Mpox, led by Africa CDC, has allocated an initial batch of 899,000 vaccine doses to nine African countries, including Nigeria, in response to a severe surge in cases. This distribution effort, disclosed by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday, aims to mitigate the growing health crisis through a targeted and fair allocation of vaccines to the hardest-hit regions.
Collaborating with affected countries and international donors, Africa CDC and partners are working to control the outbreaks by focusing resources where they are most needed. The AAM’s decision follows recommendations from an independent Technical Review Committee, which assessed epidemiological data and each country’s readiness to deploy the vaccines. The vaccines will be distributed across the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda, with the DRC receiving 85% of the doses due to its high case burden.
The allocated doses come from multiple donors, including Canada, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the European Union, and the United States. The surge in Mpox cases, particularly the Ib viral strain in the DRC and neighboring regions, has been declared a public health emergency by both the World Health Organization and Africa CDC.
Nineteen African countries have reported Mpox cases this year, with the DRC as the epicenter, reporting over 38,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 deaths. While vaccinations have begun in the DRC and Rwanda, the rollout across additional countries represents a crucial step toward coordinated Mpox containment. Future vaccine allocations are anticipated before the year’s end, with over 5.85 million doses expected to be available by the end of 2024.
The comprehensive Mpox response strategy underscores vaccination as a key measure alongside testing, diagnosis, clinical care, and community engagement to curb transmission and contain the outbreak.
