Mpox disease has been declared a matter of global health concern by the World Health Organisation ,WHO, with countries in the East African region accounting for most of the casualties.
Also, as part of the efforts of the present administration to expand the healthcare value chain in the country, the federal government has given the newly established Federal University of Health and Allied Sciences a mandate to commence studies in September.
Although there have been no casualties recorded in Nigeria so far, the number of infected persons has reached 40.
US ambassador, Richard Mills who presented the vaccine to Nigerian government officials in Abuja, said the US government has prioritised support for Global Health Security, particularly in most vulnerable countries.
He said the United States government, through USAID, remains a committed partner with Nigeria to strengthen systems that can effectively prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats.
According to the ambassador, USAID has funded projects including MRITE and Breakthrough Action that are integral in the provision of technical support at the national and sub-national levels.
Speaking during the formal handover of the vaccines, the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency ,NPHCDA, Muyi Aina, said it was a two-dose primary series for use in persons who have never received smallpox vaccine and a single booster for individuals previously vaccinated with a smallpox vaccine
Aina said the Mpox vaccine would be immediately deployed to areas with a high risk of infection noting that one of the decisions the agency has taken was to vaccinate people at high risk, like health workers, and people living in areas with high infection rates.
The Executive Director said NPHCDA was working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention ,NCDC, to effectively check the spread and control of infectious diseases in the country.
Meanwhile, as part of the efforts of the present administration to expand the healthcare value chain in the country, the federal government has given the newly established Federal University of Health and Allied Sciences a mandate to commence studies in September.
Speaking during a visit of the university’s management team to his office in Abuja, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, said the vision of the government was to create opportunities for training of more health sector manpower to boost healthcare delivery in the country.
The minister said that the new institution was envisioned to train other health professionals aside from medical doctors.
The minister commended the Acting Vice Chancellor and his team for their hard work in transitioning the institution from a college of health sciences to the Federal University of Health and Allied Sciences. “
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, congratulated Emaimo and the entire university community for the level of infrastructure development achieved under his leadership.
The visit to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was part of the university’s efforts to present a brief to the transition committee and submit the foundational documents required to kickstart operations.