Tracking Mpox one year after global emergency declaration
One year after health authorities sounded the alarm, mpox remains a pressing global health challenge, with outbreaks continuing to expand across Africa and beyond.
A year since the emergency
In August 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared mpox a continental health emergency as cases surged across multiple countries. The following day, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern—the second such declaration for mpox in just two years.
Current situation
As of August 2025, mpox is present in 26 African countries, up from 13 the year before. Africa CDC reports more than 100,000 suspected cases this year and over 700 deaths, though experts warn that limited surveillance and social stigma likely mean the real numbers are higher.
The outbreak has been fueled by the clade 1b strain, which first appeared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in late 2023. This variant is more severe and deadlier than earlier strains. It has since spread beyond Africa, with cases confirmed in China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Türkiye.
Vaccines, laboratories, and outreach
In response, Africa CDC has scaled up surveillance, laboratory testing, and public awareness efforts. More than 3 million vaccine doses have been distributed across 12 African countries.
Yet vaccine rollout has been uneven. Regulatory delays and logistical difficulties slowed early campaigns. The United States pledged 1 million doses, but by July 2025, only 90,000 had arrived. Nearly half of the remaining doses were too close to expiration to be used.
Roadblocks to control
Efforts to contain the virus continue to face serious obstacles. Stigma surrounding mpox, particularly due to its links with sexual transmission, has limited public health outreach. The spread into major urban centers and across borders has also complicated containment.
Experts caution that unless international support and coordination are sustained, mpox could become entrenched in human populations, raising the risk of recurrent global outbreaks.
