Mpox, a disease first identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970, traditionally remained a concern in rural areas of Central and West Africa. Despite longstanding presence, it garnered limited international attention until the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared it a public health emergency on August 13, 2024.
Research conducted by the African CDC examined the status of mpox by analyzing cases and deaths from January 2022 to October 2024. This study, entitled “Evolving Epidemiology of Mpox in Africa in 2024” and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported 45,652 mpox cases in twelve African countries, leading to 1,492 deaths, reflecting a case fatality rate of 3.3%. Importantly, 88% of these cases occurred in the DRC. Notably, the weekly case numbers increased by a factor of 4.3 during this period. In 2024, six countries in Africa documented their first imported mpox infections.
The study’s authors noted that “the high mpox disease burden in Africa, especially in the DRC — with a rising number of cases, high case fatality rate, and high degree of spread to other previously mpox-free African countries — is cause for increased international concern.”
This analysis offers a significant insight into the growing threat posed by mpox, emphasizing the need for increased international awareness and response.
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