Mpox Outbreak in Africa
Recent Developments
01January 2026: WHO reported the first known cases of a clade Ib/IIb recombinant mpox strain in India and the United Kingdom, indicating at least four-country spread of this recombinant virus across three WHO regions.
02April 2026: CDC reported more than 53,000 confirmed clade I mpox cases and more than 150 deaths globally since January 2024, with the DRC still accounting for the majority of clade Ib cases.
03April 2026: PAHO reported clade Ib community transmission in 15 countries globally, with six additional countries reporting travel-associated cases.
04Early April 2026: BEACON reported weekly suspected mpox cases in the DRC declined to about 170 per week, down from roughly 2,400 per week in early 2025.
Interventions
- WHO, Africa CDC, and national ministries continue surveillance, rapid reporting, genomic sequencing, and outbreak coordination across affected countries.
- CDC reports ongoing support in Central and Eastern Africa for laboratory capacity, testing materials, workforce capacity, case investigation, infection prevention and control, border health, and risk communication.
- Regional vaccination and diagnostics expansion continue, including multi-country deployment of vaccines and increased laboratory testing capacity reported by public health agencies.
What Works
- Rapid surveillance, case isolation, contact tracing, and genomic sequencing help detect transmission chains and identify new variants early.
- Targeted vaccination of exposed and high-risk groups has been part of response efforts and is associated with improved outbreak control where coverage and delivery are stronger.
- Improved laboratory testing and cross-border coordination reduce under-detection and help interrupt spread in mobile populations and conflict-affected areas.
How to Help
- Donate to reputable public health and humanitarian organizations supporting outbreak response in affected countries, such as WHO, UNICEF, MSF, and local health partners.
- Support organizations working on vaccination, testing, and community engagement in the DRC and neighboring countries.
- Advocate for sustained funding for outbreak surveillance, laboratory capacity, and vaccine access through elected representatives and public health agencies.
Make an Impact
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Raise Awareness
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Verified Organizations
Organizations Helping(14)
Africa CDC co-leads the continent-wide mpox response with WHO under a unified plan, budget, and monitoring framework. Their Mpox Continental Preparedness and Response Plan addresses ten pillars: coordination and leadership, risk communication and community engagement, surveillance, laboratory systems, case management, infection prevention and control, vaccination, research and innovation, operations support and logistics, and continuity of essential services, tailored for highly impacted and at-risk countries to contain cross-border transmission.
WHO maintains global mpox surveillance, provides response guidance, supports diagnostics and vaccine access via the International Coordinating Group (ICG) for mpox vaccines, and evaluates rapid diagnostic tests. In the African Region, they support a continental response across all pillars including surveillance, diagnostics in most countries, and vaccine delivery to 16 countries for at-risk populations. They also focus on communication, community engagement, case detection, treatment, laboratory confirmation, transmission containment, health supplies, and health worker protection.
IDSA tackles the mpox crisis through expert analysis and advocacy, publishing detailed reports on the African epidemic including clade Ib dynamics, calling for urgent increases in vaccine and diagnostic access, recommending research into antiviral treatments and mutation risks, and urging global funding for surveillance, contact tracing, and community health worker deployment in epicenters like DRC, Malawi, and Sierra Leone.
CDC supports Myanmar through public health collaboration that strengthens outbreak detection, investigation, and response capacity. Its work includes field epidemiology training, surveillance improvements, laboratory capacity, and partnership with the Ministry of Health to better identify and control infectious disease outbreaks, including vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles.
