MONROVIA, Liberia – Liberia is set to receive 10,000 doses of the mpox vaccine to help protect the country from the outbreak which has claimed at least 1,000 lives worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (W.H.O).
By Gloria Wleh with New Narratives Public health authorities have confirmed that none of the cases in the country is the more deadly clade 1 strain of the virus that has a death rate as high as one in ten of those infected and prompted the WHO to issue a global health emergency alert. But they warn it is only a matter of time before the strain arrives. Vaccinating those at most risk, including health workers, will be key to protecting the country, according to Dr.
Dougbeh Nyan, Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL). “The request was accepted, and Liberia was given ten thousand plus of the MVA-BN doses,” said Dr. Nyan, in an exclusive interview.
The vaccines have not yet arrived in the country. The Health Ministry is now tasked with transporting the donations from the donor and processing in the country, Dr. Yuah Nemah, Program Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization of the health ministry said.
The health ministry did not respond to a request for comment on who will receive the vaccines, but experts say it is likely to be frontline medical staff who are most likely to come into contact with the virus. Liberia is not paying a cent for the doses. They are being donated by the United States, European Un.
