The acting director of Africa’s top public health agency said on Thursday that he hopes the vaccine backlog seen by wealthier nations during the Covid-19 pandemic will not be repeated with the current outbreak of smallpox in the United States. monkeys.
Monkeypox, a generally mild viral infection, is endemic in African countries such as Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria.
The disease caused global alarm after more than 200 suspected and confirmed cases of the virus were detected in at least 19 countries since early May, mostly in Europe. No deaths have been reported so far.
“Vaccines should go where they are needed most and equitably, based on risk rather than who can buy them,” Ahmed Ogwell Ouma of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention told a news conference.
In the past, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned rich countries against hoarding Covid-19 vaccines and lacking supplies to poorer countries where immunization rates are low.
Ogwell Ouma’s comments came a day after disease experts in South Africa said they did not think there was a need for mass vaccination campaigns globally against smallpox and that vaccines should be prioritized for other deadly infections.
Source: CNN Brasil
