MPOX TRACKER

Africa’s fight against mpox is at a critical juncture. On 17 May 2025, Africa CDC’s Emergency Consultative Group, chaired by Professor Salim Abdool Karim, will review whether mpox should continue to be classified as a public health emergency of continental concern. Since the original declaration in August 2024, the outbreak has expanded across 23 countries, with more than 22,700 confirmed cases and 69 deaths recorded by early 2025. The panel will weigh evidence of diverging trends: improvements in Burundi and Rwanda contrast sharply with alarming surges in Uganda, Nigeria, and the Republic of Congo.

Central Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo, remains the outbreak’s epicentre, further burdened by ongoing conflict, displacement, and a new Clade 1A variant that could increase transmissibility. Testing coverage in the DRC has fallen to 50%, and funding delays have hampered the response. Yet there are positive developments. Ten African countries have received mpox vaccines, and seven have launched vaccination campaigns targeting high-risk groups, including children. The Joint Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST) has also enhanced coordination, aligning partners under a unified operational framework.

Africa CDC, with WHO and other partners, recently updated its six-month response plan, aiming to reduce human-to-human transmission and cut mpox incidence by 50% by August 2025. The plan prioritises decentralised diagnostics, community-based interventions like contact tracing, and the integration of surveillance and vaccination data.

The 17 May decision will shape the continent’s next steps: maintaining emergency status could sustain momentum and funding, while lifting it might risk undermining fragile gains. Whatever the outcome, sustained investment, vigilance, and global solidarity will be essential to control mpox and strengthen Africa’s epidemic preparedness for the future.