Mpox is no longer classified as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security in Africa after a sustained decline in cases and deaths, the Africa CDC Emergency Consultative Group has announced. ALSO READ: Mpox outbreak now a global health emergency: What you need to know Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya made the announcement on January 22, ending the continental emergency declared in August 2024 during a period of rising infections. ALSO READ: Mpox declared public health emergency in Africa “Following the recommendation of the Africa CDC Emergency Consultative Group, I hereby announce the lifting of mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security,” Kaseya said. The emergency declaration came as mpox transmission surged across the continent in 2024. Africa recorded 80,276 suspected cases and 1,340 deaths that year, more than five times the number of suspected cases and double the deaths reported during the same period in 2023. DR Congo accounted for 96 per cent of reported cases and 97 per cent of deaths. Kaseya noted that mpox outbreaks in Africa have historically received limited global attention, with weak surveillance systems and constrained access to diagnostics, vaccines, and treatment. “While tools to detect and prevent the disease were available elsewhere, African countries faced shortages despite carrying most of the disease burden. These gaps have delayed detection and wider spread, mostly in vulnerable communities.” Amid rising mpox cases in April 2024, African health ministers met in Kinshasa. Africa CDC’s Emergency Consultative Group later recommended declaring a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. Response activities were coordinated through the Incident Management Support Team, co-led by Africa CDC and the World Health Organisation, bringing together African Union institutions, member states, and partners under a single operational structure. Kaseya noted that more than US$1 billion was mobilised during the response period. Surveillance was expanded through community health workers using digital reporting tools, while laboratory and genomic sequencing capacity increased more than tenfold. “Over five million mpox vaccine doses were deployed across 16 countries, alongside measures to strengthen case management and infection prevention,” he added. Data from the Emergency Consultative Group showed a continued decline in transmission. Suspected cases fell by 40 per cent from their highest in early 2025, and confirmed cases dropped by 60 per cent later in the year. The case fatality rate among suspected cases decreased from 2.6 per cent to 0.6 per cent. Kaseya said Africa CDC lifted the emergency after detection, treatment, and coordination improved, but the disease continues to pose a risk. “Mpox is still present in several areas, and efforts on surveillance, vaccination, and targeted control will continue. We are working with countries and partners on a transition roadmap to maintain the systems and capacities built during the emergency, as vaccination continues and local vaccine production is supported,” Kaseya said.
