African Countries Make Strides in Mpox Containment

Edited By: Aminata Diallo

Mpox continues to pose a significant public health challenge across Africa. Over the past year, 28 countries have reported more than 174,000 suspected cases and nearly 50,000 confirmed infections, resulting in approximately 240 deaths.

One year after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), African nations have intensified their response, achieving measurable progress in curbing the virus’s spread. Coordinated action among governments, WHO, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), communities, and partners has strengthened disease surveillance, expanded laboratory testing, accelerated vaccination campaigns, and improved care for those affected.

Recent data indicate that these efforts are yielding results. Over the past six weeks, confirmed cases have declined by 34.5% compared with the previous six-week period. More than three million vaccine doses have been delivered—nearly half of the targeted supply—with over 951,000 doses administered, reaching approximately 900,000 individuals with at least one dose.

Countries such as Côte d’Ivoire have successfully contained outbreaks, reporting no new cases for 42 consecutive days. Angola, Gabon, Mauritius, and Zimbabwe have each gone more than 90 days without confirmed infections, underscoring the impact of sustained intervention.

“Our collective efforts have been crucial in strengthening measures for an effective response,” said Dr. Patrick Otim, Programme Area Manager for Emergency Response at WHO’s Regional Office for Africa. “It is essential to maintain what works, including rapid case detection, targeted vaccination, robust laboratory systems, and active community engagement.”

WHO and Africa CDC have developed continental Mpox Preparedness and Response Plans, co-led through the continental Incident Management Support Team in collaboration with partners. Professor Yap Boum, Deputy Continental Incident Manager for Africa CDC, highlighted that “strong African leadership, working as one team with a unified plan and monitoring framework, has been key, especially given limited resources.”

Since August 2024, WHO has been working closely with affected countries to strengthen response capacity. Of the 22 countries currently experiencing active transmission, 13 now have vaccine deployment plans, and eight are actively vaccinating high-risk populations and contacts.

Nevertheless, challenges remain. Limited vaccine access, competing public health emergencies, funding gaps, restricted access to care, and stigma continue to hinder efforts. Conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo further disrupts response activities.

Looking ahead, Dr. Otim emphasized the priorities for the next six months: expanding community-based surveillance in high-risk areas, distributing essential supplies to hotspots, integrating mpox response into broader health programs for sustainability, supporting targeted vaccination campaigns, and advocating for increased funding to ensure vaccine deployment.