Nigeria became the first African country this week to receive a batch of vaccines against mpox, a viral disease whose rapid spread led the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency in mid-August. While more vaccine doses are available, experts say high costs and regulatory hurdles have prevented the jabs from reaching the countries in central Africa that most need them.
Central Africa is seeing a rapid increase in mpox cases, with nearly 4,000 reported in a week, the continent's public health body said Tuesday, reiterating a plea for long-awaited vaccines to combat a virus that is believed to have infected tens of thousands of people and killed more than 600 since the start of the year.
