Africa CDC and WHO update mpox strategy as outbreaks persist
April 17, 2025
Africa CDC and WHO have jointly updated their Continental Mpox Response Plan to reflect the growing urgency of the outbreak. With more than one million vaccine doses delivered and 650,000 administered—90% in the DRC—the revised plan focuses on controlling the outbreak while transitioning toward long-term resilience. Diagnostic capacity in the DRC has improved with 23 operational labs, but escalating conflict and aid cuts are hampering response efforts. Local transmission has now been reported in 11 African countries. The updated plan emphasizes sustained vaccination, diagnostics, and integration of mpox into routine health services to safeguard future public health.
As mpox continues to spread across the African continent, the Africa CDC and World Health Organization have released an updated Continental Response Plan to intensify outbreak control efforts while laying the foundation for long-term integration of mpox prevention into routine health services. Since late 2023, clade Ib has driven transmission across 11 African nations, with 28 countries worldwide now reporting cases linked to this strain. Within Africa, transmission has extended beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, and others, raising the urgency for coordinated response strategies.
The revised plan builds upon the original ten-pillar framework—focusing on coordination, community engagement, surveillance, laboratory capacity, clinical care, infection control, vaccination, logistics, essential health services, and research. Vaccination campaigns have scaled significantly, with over 650,000 doses administered in six countries, largely in the DRC. More than 1 million doses have been delivered to 10 countries overall, and efforts are underway to secure additional supplies.
Notably, diagnostic testing capacity in the DRC has expanded from 2 to 23 laboratories across 12 provinces. New point-of-care testing is expected to further accelerate detection. However, progress is threatened by armed conflict in eastern DRC and foreign aid cuts that are restricting access to healthcare and undermining outbreak control.
The updated plan estimates a funding gap of over $220 million and calls for urgent investment to sustain vaccination, diagnostics, and surveillance. It also aligns with WHO’s updated global mpox strategy, which similarly aims to curb human-to-human transmission and reinforce healthcare systems.
By integrating mpox into routine health services and prioritizing resource mobilization, the Africa CDC and WHO aim not only to curb the current outbreak but also to fortify long-term public health resilience across the continent.