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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Africa is no longer in the grip of a public health emergency over mpox though the viral infection "remains endemic in several settings", the head of region's disease monitoring centres said Saturday.
The announcement by Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, comes after the World Health Organization in September said mpox was no longer a global health emergency.
WHO had declared its worldwide public health emergency over the viral infection -- previously known as Monkeypox, and related to smallpox -- in August 2024, after a two-pronged mpox epidemic broke out, primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Kaseya said Africa was lifting its regional emergency status for the illness because of boosted detection, therapy and the roll-out of more than five million mpox vaccines in 16 countries since 2024.
The response contributed to confirmed cases dropping by 60 percent between early 2025 and late 2025, and the number of deaths among those infected dropping from 2.6 percent to 0.6 percent, he said in a statement.
The lifting of the regional public health emergency status "does not mark the end of mpox in Africa," he added.
"Rather, it signals a transition from emergency response to a sustained, country-led pathway toward elimination. Mpox remains endemic in several settings, and continued vigilance, targeted investment, and innovation will be essential to consolidate gains and prevent resurgence."
According to the WHO, 78 percent of mpox cases were detected in Africa, with the DRC, Guinea and Madagascar most affected
