Africa: Suspected Mpox Cases Rise As Hotspots Record Drop In New Confirmations

Monrovia — Many countries in the region continue to grapple with mpox cases, which surged in August 2024, and suspected cases are still rising, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC). The continental health agency, however, noted a decline in confirmed cases during the 26th reporting week of 2025.

At a briefing on Thursday, Deputy Director of the Incident Management Team in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Yap Boum, described the drop in confirmed cases as a "positive sign", attributing it to improved testing and laboratory management. Despite this progress, Boum said, overall case numbers remain significantly higher than in 2024.

DR Congo, Uganda, and Sierra Leone account for 74% of all confirmed cases - a decrease from the cases recorded a week ago, when these three countries represented more than 80% of confirmed mpox cases. Uganda, however, has confirmed more cases over the past four weeks, which the Africa CDC official linked to an "accelerated active case search".

DRC reported a 9% increase in suspected cases, though the Central African nation saw a decline in new confirmed cases during the 26th reporting week, while Sierra Leone witnessed a drop in both suspected and confirmed cases. Despite this progress, the country still faces over 600 active cases.

Burundi, another hot spot, reported a rise in new suspected and confirmed cases, though overall numbers remain lower compared to when the infection rate peaked in the 43rd week of 2024, to over 200 cases. Boum said the recent increase may be due to community perceptions that "mpox is over", leading to reduced vigilance.

Ghana presented a mixed picture, with fewer suspected cases but an increase in confirmed infections, particularly in the Western Region. Kenya and Liberia also reported rises in both suspected and confirmed cases.

"We are dealing with multiple outbreaks due to the different clades of the disease, so we cannot have the same response mechanism," the Africa CDC official said. He was referring to the infection rates of the different clades of the disease in terms of their severity and fatality. Boum announced that more than 11 countries in the region received mpox vaccines, with more than 700,000 people already inoculated.