Nigeria’s Federal Government has revealed that it was collaborating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United States Centre for Disease Control to see how Nigeria would access the global stockpile of Monkeypox vaccination to arrest the outbreak of the disease.
The government’s move came just as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) yesterday dismissed the allegations that it was operating biological laboratories with monkey pox virus in Nigeria.
The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) which revealed the collaboration with the WHO, also disclosed that it has vaccinated 30,327,550 persons with the first dose.
It said that the figure of first dose vaccination represented 23.9 per cent of the country’s eligible population, adding that 14,629,451 persons had also received their second dose.
According to the agency, 18,291,072 had been fully vaccinated which represented 16.4 per cent of the country’s eligible population, while 1,229,909 persons were said to have received their booster doses.
The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, who spoke to journalists at the flag-off of COVID-19 vaccination at Community Pharmacies in Abuja, said the federal government is presently emphasising strict observation of public health safety measures to limit the spread of Monkeypox disease across the country.
The NPHCDA boss said the agency was working with the NCDC to make sure that all of the strategies to limit its spread were put in place.
“We are also engaging the WHO and the United States Centre for Control to see how Nigeria can also access the global stockpile of Monkeypox vaccination.
“Until the vaccines are available, the government is emphasising the use of basic measures to limit the spread of Monkeypox disease,” he explained.
He solicited the support of the media to sensitise Nigerians on ways to avoid being infected.
While speaking on the rollout of vaccination in community pharmacies, Shuaib said the whole essence of collaboration with community pharmacists was to ensure that vaccination and immunisation activities are brought down to the grassroots levels for 24 hours per day.
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