NIGERIA – United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) Country Director in Nigeria Dr Leo Zekeng has emphasized that there is a need to support expansion of the supply of medicines, equipment and sample collection materials in order to tackle the emerging Monkeypox outbreak.
While sharing how lessons from the AIDS response applies to the Monkeypox response, UNAIDS Country Director for Nigeria said that the Monkeypox response in Nigeria is being impacted by both social stigma and by global inequality in access to essential medicines including vaccines.
He explained that the scarcity of key medicines is holding back Nigeria’s Monkeypox response and there has been a significant increase in suspected and confirmed cases in recent weeks, noting that support for the response in Nigeria is essential for the success of the global response.
“Support in efforts to challenge stigma and in enabling access to essential medicines are key to ensuring that everyone impacted by Monkeypox in Nigeria gets the care they need,” UNAIDS Country Director in Nigeria Dr Leo Zekeng highlighted.
According to the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC)’s most recently published sitrep indicates that in 2022 there have been over 473 suspected Monkeypox cases including 172 confirmed cases.
Lessons we have learnt in the AIDS response apply to the Monkeypox response too. The Monkeypox response in Nigeria is being impacted by both social stigma and by global inequality in access to essential medicines, including vaccines.
UNAIDS Country Director and Representative in Nigeria pointed out that the Federal government of Nigeria, civil society organisations, development partners and the United Nations are working together to respond to the increase of suspected and confirmed Monkeypox cases in Nigeria.
Dr Zekeng further said that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention activated a national multisectoral Emergency Operations Centre for Monkeypox to strengthen and coordinate ongoing response activities in-country while contributing to the global response.
“Unlike the United States and the European Union, Nigeria does not have any supply of vaccines for Monkeypox which brings amongst people in affected areas a sense of frustration that they have been left behind by the world,” UNAIDS Country Director for Nigeria stressed.
Furthermore, Nigeria’s UNAIDS Director Leo Zekeng divulged that the inequality in access to vaccines and other key medicines must be urgently put right by sharing doses, sharing production rights and sharing know-how.
Dr Leo Zekeng empathized that local staff in the most affected states have reported that stigma connected with commentary from across the world blaming gay people for Monkeypox is discouraging some people from seeking care.
He disclosed that State Health officials are working to ensure that staff at health clinics are sensitized to break down stigma and not to reinforce it while observing that there have been situations of people being too afraid to access medical care because of stigma.
In addition, Dr Zekeng said State Ministry of Health officials are embarking on community sensitization on Monkeypox focused on identification of symptoms, prevention and the need to get tested, noting that lessons countries learnt in the AIDS response apply to the Monkeypox response too.
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