Nigeria, which has been stricken by outbreaks of yellow fever, received aid from the International Coordinating Group (ICC) last week in the form of 1.4 million vaccines.
Distribution of those vaccines will be aided by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is working to support the government of Nigeria. The vaccination will be administered in Zamfara state, which builds on previous efforts in Kwara and Kogi states. The vaccines themselves are being pulled from the global stockpile of 6 million.
“Last year we saw the largest yellow fever outbreak in 30 years hit Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo; we cannot afford to see a repeat in West Africa,” Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi and the Vaccine Alliance, said. “The global vaccine stockpile is our last line of defence against the growing threat of yellow fever outbreaks. Of course, the most important long-term strategy is high coverage of yellow fever vaccination in the routine immunisation programme. This shipment will protect over a million people in Nigeria, saving lives and, we hope, prevent a potentially devastating outbreak.”
In August, there was a single confirmed case of yellow fever in Nigeria. That confirmed total has since risen to 30, but suspected cases are even higher at 276. People on the ground are also planning a pre-emptive campaign to help high-risk areas. WHO and its partners, meanwhile, are working with the Nigerian government to assess epidemic risk, dispatch the vaccines, support lab and surveillance operations and build up the nation’s long-term capacity in the fight against yellow fever.