Synopsis
The Africa CDC reports a significant rise in mpox cases in Africa, revealing that the last three months have seen over half of the total reported cases for 2024. The data highlights an urgent public health concern across the continent.Key Takeaways
- Africa has reported 39,840 mpox cases in 2025.
- In the last week, 2,768 new cases were documented.
- 22 countries have reported a total of 117,678 mpox cases since last year.
- Uganda, Burundi, and DRC account for most confirmed cases.
- The DRC is the epicenter of the current mpox outbreak.
Addis Ababa, April 11 (NationPress) The number of mpox cases documented in Africa over the last three months has surpassed half of the total cases reported throughout the entire year of 2024, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The continent has recorded 39,840 mpox cases this year, which includes 9,020 confirmed instances, as stated by Yap Boum, the Deputy Incident Manager for mpox at Africa CDC, during an online briefing.
In just the previous week, Africa saw 2,768 new infections, including 508 confirmed cases and 13 new deaths related to the disease, Boum reported.
Since the beginning of last year, 22 African nations affected by mpox have reported a total of 117,678 cases. Out of these, 26,927 were confirmed, and over 1,700 related fatalities have been recorded.
Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) collectively accounted for 94 percent of the confirmed cases reported in the previous week, as noted by Africa CDC.
"We observe that the number of cases is still rising in both suspected and confirmed categories. We currently have an average of 3,000 suspected cases weekly in 2025," Boum stated.
"More critically, in the last three months, we have already exceeded 50 percent of the total number of cases reported in 2024."
The DRC, which is at the forefront of the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa, has reported a cumulative total of 90,406 mpox cases since the beginning of last year, including 2,099 cases reported in the last week alone, according to data from the Africa CDC, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
Mpox, previously referred to as monkeypox, is a viral illness generally transmitted through body fluids, respiratory droplets, and other contaminated materials. The infection typically leads to symptoms such as fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.
In August of last year, Africa CDC declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of continental security. Shortly thereafter, the World Health Organization classified the viral disease as a public health emergency of international concern, marking the second instance in two years where it activated its highest level of global alert for mpox.
