This decision was reached last week at a gathering of country representatives and partners in Brazzaville.
The Africa CDC, in a statement , noted that with anticipated mpox vaccine deliveries to the
African region in the coming months, countries had requested support in identifying and mapping mpox hotspots based on local epidemiology and planning targeted vaccination strategies to reach populations at risk of mpox.
More than 120 participants from 17 countries, along with partners from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Agency for International Development, and with support from Canada, attended the Regional Mpox Vaccine Preparedness and Deployment Plan Development meeting, which took place from November 5-7, 2024.
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It added that mpox vaccine deployments had faced delays on the continent and that supply would likely remain limited in the near- to medium-term. However, recently, three countries in the African region—Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria—received a total of 280,000 doses.
Initial vaccination efforts have begun in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, with more than 50,000 doses administered.
Four countries (South Africa, Guinea, Cameroon, and Gabon) moved to the ‘controlled phase’ in October 2024 after reporting no new cases for six weeks. Fourteen other countries are currently experiencing active outbreaks in Africa.