WHO lifts global mpox emergency after sharp decline in cases and deaths
A patient showing his hand with a sore caused by an infection of the mpox virus, in the isolation area for mpox patients at the Arzobispo Loayza hospital, in Lima, Peru, August 16, 2022. — AFP/File
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared that mpox is no longer a global public health emergency, citing a significant drop in cases and fatalities, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other affected nations.
WHO chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement following the UN health agency’s emergency committee meeting on Thursday.
“This decision is based on sustained declines in cases and deaths in the DRC and other countries, including Burundi, Sierra Leone, and Uganda,” Tedros said at a press briefing. He noted that affected countries had strengthened their response systems and that global understanding of the virus’s transmission had improved.
However, Tedros stressed that the move does not mean the threat has ended. “The possibility of flare-ups and new outbreaks remains,” he warned, adding that mpox continues to be treated as a continental emergency in Africa.
The Africa CDC also voiced caution, stating that the current downward trends are not yet stable enough to warrant lifting the emergency on a regional level.
From January to July 2025, the WHO received reports of over 34,000 confirmed cases and 138 deaths across 84 countries, with more than 15,000 cases in the DRC alone.
Mpox, a virus from the same family as smallpox, was first detected in humans in 1970 in the DRC. It spreads through infected animals as well as close human contact, and causes fever, muscle pain, and boil-like skin lesions. While it can be deadly, the fatality rate in endemic regions has dropped from 3.6% to around 1%, according to Dimie Ogoina, chair of the WHO’s mpox emergency committee.
Globally, more than three million vaccine doses have been distributed to 12 countries, with nearly one million already administered. Experts warn that complacency now could trigger a resurgence.
The WHO has previously declared eight global health emergencies since 2009, including H1N1 flu, Ebola, Zika, Covid-19, and mpox (twice).