Nigeria has postponed its upcoming vaccination campaign due to a significant 500% increase in Mpox cases across Africa compared to last year.
New data released on Thursday by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) highlighted the urgency of the situation. “The situation is not yet under control; we are still on an upward trend overall,” said Ngashi Ngongo from Africa CDC during a press briefing.
Mauritius has now become the 19th country affected by the ongoing Mpox outbreak, while Nigeria’s vaccination plans have been put on hold. Although vaccination rates in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have exceeded 100%, access to child-friendly vaccines remains a major concern. Since January 2024, confirmed Mpox cases have surged by 500% compared to 2023, according to the statement.
The reason for Nigeria’s decision to postpone the vaccination campaign was not specified.
In response to the outbreak, the World Health Organization declared Mpox a global health emergency in mid-August, following the discovery of a new variant of the virus spreading from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.
The statistics are alarming: 19 African nations have reported over 48,000 possible Mpox cases and 1,048 deaths this year alone, with Central Africa experiencing the brunt of the impact—accounting for about 86% of all cases and nearly all deaths (99.5%).
“We need to continue mobilizing political engagement and securing the financial support necessary to control the current outbreak,” Ngongo emphasized. “We do not want Mpox, particularly the clade 1b strain, to evolve into another sexually transmitted pandemic, which would be much more severe than COVID-19.”
The virus can spread through close contact, including during sexual activity. Scientists have identified this new strain, clade 1b, in several European countries, including Sweden, Germany, and the UK
