Africa CDC And WHO Strengthen Mpox Response With Revised Plan Amid Rising Global Cases

The Africa CDC and WHO have revised their Continental Response Plan to address the expanding mpox outbreak, which now affects new regions across and beyond Africa. The updated strategy emphasises outbreak control, expanded vaccine access, and transitioning to a long-term, integrated public health approach. 

Mpox, once primarily zoonotic, is now increasingly transmitted between humans through close contact and sexual networks. The emergence and spread of the clade Ib variant since late 2023 prompted the Africa CDC and WHO to declare mpox a public health emergency on both continental and international levels in August 2024.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains the epicentre of the outbreak, with the virus spreading to four neighbouring countries and, subsequently, to 28 countries worldwide. Local transmission has been confirmed in multiple African nations, including South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia. 

In response, significant support and resources have been mobilised. Over 650,000 vaccine doses have been administered across six countries, 90% in the DRC, and over a million doses have been delivered to ten nations. Diagnostic capacity has also increased, with the DRC expanding from 2 labs in 2023 to 23 labs in 12 provinces, aided by the rollout of near-point-of-care testing.

The mpox response confronts two key barriers that hamper its progress: instability across eastern DRC and insufficient humanitarian funding. The mpox response requires an additional budget of over $220 million. The revised Continental Response Plan follows the updated global strategy from WHO to stop mpox transmission between people while integrating its management within standard healthcare systems. Africa CDC and WHO cooperate with governments, communities, and their partners to contain outbreaks while developing long-term health resilience.