Tuesday, 11 March 2025
SITUATION REPORT
Multi-country outbreak of mpox, External situation report #48
This is the 48th situation report for the multi-country outbreak of mpox, which provides details on the latest epidemiological trends, including an update on the global mpox epidemiological situation, as of 31 January 2025, the epidemiological situation for mpox in Africa, with data as of 2 March 2025 and the operational response updates and updates on imported mpox cases as of 28 February 2025.
Following the convening of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) on 25 February 2025, the WHO Director-General determined that the ongoing upsurge of mpox continues to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
Highlights
- Following the convening of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) on 25 February 2025, the WHO Director-General determined that the ongoing upsurge of mpox continues to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The WHO Director-General issued a revised set of temporary recommendations to this effect.
- The rapid risk assessment of the overall public health risk posed by mpox was updated on 24 February 2025. The overall public health risk posed by mpox was assessed as moderate at the global level.
- The outbreak of mpox due to clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV) continues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in East and Southern Africa, with new travel-related cases identified in several WHO regions.
- In the last six weeks, Uganda has reported the highest number of confirmed cases, which constitute over 40% of all confirmed cases reported on the continent during this period.
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to experience a high burden of mpox, with circulation of both clade I MPXV subclades. Many provinces report steady case counts from week to week and the situation in the country remains concerning with many areas seeing sustained transmission. The violence in the eastern part of the country poses challenges for the mpox response.
- Clade Ib MPXV has been detected in the Lomami province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the first time in February 2025, bringing the number of provinces in the country reporting circulation of the clade to ten provinces.
- Genomic sequencing indicates that one specific strain of clade Ia MPXV has persisted since July 2024 in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa, leading to sustained human-to-human transmission. There is currently no evidence that the clade Ia MPXV strain in Kinshasa is inherently more transmissible or more severe than other clade Ia or Ib MPXV strains.
- New travel-related cases of mpox due to clade Ib MPXV have been detected in countries that had previously detected travel-related cases, including Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.
- South Africa has reported its first cluster of mpox cases due to clade Ib MPXV.
Full text of the situation report
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