Lifting of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS)
January 22, 2026
Africa’s decision to lift mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security reflects a hard-earned shift from crisis response to sustained control. Under the leadership of Africa CDC, coordinated action, regional solidarity, and international partnership drove sharp declines in cases and fatalities while expanding surveillance, laboratory capacity, vaccination, and research. This milestone should not be misread as closure. Mpox remains endemic in parts of the continent, and the transition now demands vigilance, investment, and country-led ownership to consolidate gains and prevent resurgence.
The lifting of mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security marks a defining moment for Africa’s health governance. Following recommendations from the Emergency Consultative Group, Africa CDC signaled that the continent has moved from acute crisis management to a more durable phase of control grounded in regional leadership and system strengthening.
The 2024 declaration of the emergency was historic. It was the first time Africa CDC exercised its expanded mandate to coordinate a unified continental response amid rapidly escalating transmission. With more than 80,000 suspected cases and over 1,300 deaths reported that year, and with the Democratic Republic of the Congo bearing the overwhelming burden, the emergency exposed longstanding inequities in access to vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. For decades, mpox circulated with limited international attention despite Africa carrying the greatest risk.
The response that followed demonstrated what coordinated leadership can achieve. Through the Incident Management Support Team, co-led with the World Health Organization, partners mobilized financing at scale, expanded laboratory and genomic sequencing capacity, deployed millions of vaccine doses, and advanced a unified research agenda. Community-based surveillance was strengthened, health workers were supported, and accountability improved across response pillars. The results were tangible. Suspected and confirmed cases fell sharply, and fatality rates declined as detection and care improved.
Still, lifting the emergency is not an endpoint. Mpox remains endemic in several settings, and history cautions against complacency once emergency mechanisms are dismantled. Africa CDC’s planned Mpox Transition Roadmap is therefore essential. Sustained surveillance, vaccination, research, and local manufacturing will determine whether recent gains are preserved.
More broadly, this experience sets a precedent. Africa has demonstrated the capacity to lead complex public health responses with sovereignty and coordination. The challenge now is to institutionalize these lessons across other epidemic-prone diseases and ensure that resilience endures beyond the emergency phase.