At the global level, weekly mpox cases continue to decline, but two regions are seeing small rises due to localized transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its latest update.
Since its last report on March 30, countries have reported 206 new cases and 4 deaths. The deaths were all reported from Americas countries: Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States.
The WHO's Western Pacific region is reporting a rise in cases, led by sustained transmission in Japan and a few cases from China and South Korea. Also, cases are up in the European region, mainly due to a cluster in France.
As of April 10, 27 of the 110 countries that have confirmed cases have reported mpox infections over the past 21 days, the maximum incubation period. Of the 27, 16 are in the Americas, 4 are in Europe, 3 are in the Western Pacific, 2 are in Africa, and 1 each were reported from the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asian regions.
Among the latest key epidemiologic findings, the WHO said over the past 3 months transmission in household settings has increased from 10% to 22%. Also, regarding reports of cases among fully vaccinated people in a French cluster, the WHO said the significance isn't yet clear and there may be several contributing factors.
The agency said effectiveness estimates for the Jynneos mpox vaccine, based on its ongoing review, range from 36% to 86% for a single dose and 66% to 89% for two doses.
US to donate mpox vaccine to Nigeria
In other global developments, the head of Nigeria's food and drug regulatory agency announced on Twitter this week that Nigeria will receive a donation of mpox vaccine from the US government.
Mojisola Adeyeye, PhD, director-general of Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, said initial plans were discussed earlier this year and were firmed up in an April 3 meeting at the US Agency for International Development office in Washington, DC. She said the doses will likely be delivered directly from the vaccine maker to Nigeria.
During the response to the international outbreak, global health officials voiced strong concerns about vaccine inequity affecting African countries, where mpox has been endemic for decades. In December, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that Africa was receiving its first mpox vaccine donation, which came from South Korea.
