The Global Prolife Alliance (GPA) is deeply concerned about the CDC’s proposed emergency roll-out of a vaccination programme in Africa for monkeypox, saying there is no approved vaccine with documented Level 1 scientific evidence for monkeypox.
In a letter to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly (NASS), signed by its chairman, Dr. Philip Njemanze, the group said: “The vaccines under consideration are experimental, initially developed for smallpox, and are now being proposed for repurposing to combat monkeypox. These include live virus vaccines, such as Jynneos and ACAM2000, as experimentally suggested by the WHO.
“These vaccines have demonstrated serious adverse effects, and since they contain live viruses, there is a potential risk of reintroducing the previously eradicated smallpox virus. We, therefore, urge Nigeria to refuse participation in this vaccine experimentation but rather choose public enlightenment, since Mpox is a sexually transmitted disease.
“Nigerians must be adequately informed and should not be coerced. Furthermore, the right to informed consent is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Giving an overview of the disease, GPA said: “Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) is a disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the same family as the virus that causes smallpox. People with Mpox often develop a rash, along with other symptoms. The rash progresses through several stages, including scabs, before healing. Mpox is not related to chickenpox.
“Mpox is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted between animals and people. It is endemic in parts of Central and West Africa, where the virus has been found in small rodents, monkeys, and other mammals.”
Talking about the discovery and history, group disclosed: “The monkeypox virus was discovered in 1958 during two outbreaks of a pox-like disease in colonies of monkeys kept for research. Although initially named ‘monkeypox,’ the exact source of the disease remains unknown. Scientists suspect that African rodents and non-human primates, such as monkeys, may harbour the virus and infect people.
“The first human case of Mpox was recorded in 1970 in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2022, Mpox spread globally, whereas prior cases were rare and typically linked to travel or the importation of animals from regions where Mpox is endemic.
“Nigeria is one of the West African countries that have previously reported cases of monkeypox, with two recorded human cases in 1971 and one in 1978. Other West African countries that have reported the disease include Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The United States experienced a large outbreak (47 cases) in 2003, marking the first reported occurrence of the disease outside Africa.
“The monkeypox virus, which is transmitted to people from various wild animals, has limited secondary spread through human-to-human transmission, with case fatality rates ranging from 1% to 10% across different outbreaks, most deaths occurring in younger age groups. There is no specific treatment or vaccine available for human monkeypox infections, but prior smallpox vaccination has been found to be effective in preventing monkeypox.
“The vaccines under consideration are experimental, initially developed for smallpox, and are now being proposed for repurposing to combat monkeypox. These include live virus vaccines such as Jynneos and ACAM2000, as experimentally suggested by the WHO. The smallpox live vaccine (ACAM2000) has serious side effects that may include inflammation of the heart (myocarditis and pericarditis), brain (encephalitis, encephalomyelitis, encephalopathy), kin infections, etc.
“The Africa CDC has declared plans to secure more than 10 million doses of monkeypox vaccines in Africa, starting with three million doses in 2024.”
Expressing its concerns and recommendations, the GPA underscored the following points in the interest of the Nigerian people: “There is no approved vaccine with documented Level 1 scientific evidence for monkeypox. The current WHO-recommended live virus vaccines, Jynneos and ACAM2000, are (a) intended for smallpox and are thus experimental for monkeypox; (b) have reported serious adverse effects; and (c) contain live viral strains, which may trigger a resurgence of the eradicated smallpox virus.
“The potential use of mRNA vaccines lacks scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness in preventing or mitigating any infectious disease. The observed adverse reactions to experimental mRNA vaccines far outweigh any potential benefits.
“Informed consent is an ethical concept codified in law and is a standard practice in healthcare institutions. For informed consent to be valid, the patient must be competent, adequately informed, and not coerced. It is not possible for any recipient of these vaccines to give legitimate informed consent based on the current research.
“The article by Allan-Blitz, et al, ‘A Position Statement on Mpox as a Sexually Transmitted Disease,’ concluded that monkeypox is a sexually transmitted disease. Preventative measures should focus on relevant clinical and primary healthcare education initiatives directed at high-risk groups, rather than the general population, making the recommendation of experimental vaccines unjustified.
“The statistics and analysis regarding monkeypox data collected in the DRC and other African countries by the WHO warrant further investigation and should be independently audited. The areas with the highest reported cases should provide detailed criteria for testing, including the sensitivity and specificity of equipment, personnel expertise, clinical scenarios and reasons for testing these specific communities. Tests used to exclude other diseases, including communicable diseases, should also be documented.
“No autopsy reports have been published on monkeypox-related deaths. The lack of formal autopsy documentation, information on test sensitivities and specificities, and procedures validating the random collection of data further diminishes the reliability of the reported statistics.
The GPA’s observations based on literature review and data analysis: “The Africa CDC and WHO’s declaration of a global health emergency for monkeypox could misallocate the already limited resources in the health sector. Nigeria is not meeting the challenge of allocating 15% of its budget to health. Further strain on resources, both financial and human, would divert crucial resources from major health challenges such as malaria, HIV, hypertension, and stroke, which have a much greater epidemiological impact and higher mortality rates than Mpox.
“It is established that monkeypox is predominantly a self-limiting condition that typically resolves within 2-4 weeks. This does not justify vaccine intervention or the diversion of crucial human resources.
“Vaccines are specific remedies intended for target groups for each illness. Based on the scientific evidence, the ’emergency’ rollout of repurposed smallpox vaccines or any other proposed monkeypox vaccine to the people of Africa without considering the potential health risks from adverse effects would be irresponsible.
“The authenticity of the number of deaths associated with Mpox, as reported by the Africa CDC, must be corroborated with data from autopsy reports.
“The Nigerian public must be educated about their rights to informed consent, including information on the risks of adverse effects from any vaccine, including those proposed for Mpox.
“All health alerts to the Nigerian public must emphasize their inherent human rights to refuse consent for any medical intervention that they are uncomfortable with.
“We hope that the parliamentary working group will engage with the Nigerian Centers for Disease Control (NCDC) on the issues raised above and on all matters concerning the health and well-being of the Nigerian people.”
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