Public health advice on mpox
Mpox situation in the region and in the Republic of Congo
Since May 2022, mpox cases have been reported from countries without previously documented transmission. As of 18 August 2024, the WHO African Region has reported 17,947 suspected mpox cases, including 563 suspected deaths and 2,186 laboratory-confirmed cases, with 13 confirmed deaths across 12 countries since January 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains the hardest hit, accounting for 86.4% of all confirmed cases in the region in 2024, with 1,888 confirmed cases and eight deaths reported this year.
As a result of the upsurge in the number of cases and countries affected in the African region during July and August 2024, the Director General of the World Health Organisation declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 14 August 2024, to elevate international coordination and support of ongoing mpox response in affected countries.
In 2024, the Republic of Congo reported a total of 19 confirmed cases of pox. The outbreak is geographically limited to regions in the country’s northeastern departments. No cases of mpox have been confirmed in the capital city of Brazzaville and its surrounding departments. The most recent case in the country was reported in March 2024, and the major pattern of transmission is zoonotic spillover with household transmission.
