As mpox continues spreading across new regions, Africa CDC and WHO have updated their joint Continental Response Plan, intensifying efforts to control outbreaks, expand vaccination, and build a long-term, sustainable public health response.
Mpox, a viral illness transmitted mainly through close contact, causes painful skin and mucosal lesions, fever, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
While historically a zoonotic disease, mpox has increasingly spread between people, especially following the emergence of the clade IIb and clade Ib variants in 2022 and late 2023, respectively.
This led to the declaration of public health emergencies by Africa CDC and WHO in August 2024.
Originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the outbreak has spread to 28 countries worldwide.
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Within Africa, local transmission is now reported in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, and the Republic of the Congo. Outside Africa, most cases remain travel-related.
Regional and global support has surged, guided by the Joint Continental Mpox Plan across ten key areas including vaccination, surveillance, clinical management, and laboratory capacity.
Over 650,000 vaccine doses have been administered across six countries, with 90% in the DRC, with more than one million doses distributed to ten countries.
Testing capacity in the DRC has expanded from two to 23 laboratories across 12 provinces, with new near-point-of-care tests expected to further boost diagnostics.
Yet challenges persist. Ongoing conflict in eastern DRC and humanitarian funding cuts are limiting access to essential services. An estimated US$220 million is still needed to fill funding gaps.
The updated plan focuses on controlling outbreaks and integrating mpox response into routine health services. WHO’s global strategy, also updated, aims to curb human-to-human transmission, as 60 countries reported cases in early 2025, most from Africa.
Africa CDC and WHO continue to partner with national governments, communities, and organizations to contain the outbreak and strengthen long-term health resilience.
