The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that mpox is no longer a global public health emergency, citing a steady fall in infections and fatalities across Africa.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus confirmed the decision on Friday after the agency’s emergency committee reviewed the situation at its quarterly meeting.
“This decision is based on sustained declines in cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in other affected countries, including Burundi, Sierra Leone, and Uganda,” Tedros told reporters in Geneva.
He stressed, however, that the end of the emergency designation did not signal the end of the threat.
“lifting the emergency declaration does not mean the threat is over, nor that our response will stop,” he added, noting that the outbreak remains a continental crisis for Africa.
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The WHO first declared mpox a “public health emergency of international concern” in August 2024 after a dual outbreak emerged, mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The resurgence involved both the long-circulating clade 1a strain and a newly identified clade 1b.
Mpox, caused by a virus related to smallpox, spreads through close physical contact or from infected animals. Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, and characteristic skin lesions, and in some cases the disease can be fatal.
First identified in humans in 1970 in what was then Zaire, the virus gained global attention in 2022 when the clade 2 variant spread widely, particularly among gay and bisexual men.
The WHO declared an emergency at that time, which was lifted in May 2023 following successful vaccination and awareness campaigns.
The latest lifting of the emergency status comes just over a year later, but health officials warn that vigilance and preparedness remain essential to prevent further flare-ups.
