Description
General Information
The MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity (M-RITE) project is part of a suite of innovative awards funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to holistically improve family planning and maternal and child health in partner countries around the world.
The project applies best practices and explores innovations to increase equitable immunization coverage in USAID-supported countries around the globe. It works to build countries’ capacity to identify and overcome barriers to reaching zero-dose and under-immunized children and older populations with life-saving vaccines and other integrated health services. M-RITE works at multiple levels and in alignment with global strategies such as the Immunization Agenda 2030 and Gavi 5.0.
Mpox disease is caused by infection with the mpox virus (MPXV) which is a zoonotic disease with symptoms similar, but less severe, to smallpox. The first human case was confirmed in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). From January 1, 2022 through February 29, 2024, a total of 94,707 laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox, including 181 deaths, have been reported to WHO from 116 countries, territories, or areas in all six WHO Regions. Please see Table 1.
Mpox re-emerged in Nigeria in 2017, 40 years after the outbreak of 1978, and the country was again affected by the mpox epidemic of 2022. Nigeria has a population of over 200 million, and a high number of groups at increased risk of severe disease and death (such as close contacts of cases, persons in confined settings such prisons and Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps, most at risk populations including persons living with HIV) in the event of a mpox outbreak.
Objectives
Support the State Government with overall coordination arrangements to facilitate the implementation of the MPOX vaccination strategy and roll out
Support the state in oversight and monitoring of the plan implementation, contribute to exploring bottleneck and provide TA for remedial actions where feasible
Background
USAID funded support for the MPOX vaccination in Nigeria, centers around two main objectives:
Support vaccine access for Nigeria that will receive 10,000 USAID funded doses, and
Targeted support for selected states readiness and delivery of USAID funded doses in Nigeria.