Mpox is a virus that spreads mainly through close physical contact and causes fever, chills and skin blisters. The UN's World Health Organisation declared it a "public-health emergency of international concern" in August 2024, after a surge in two strains across Africa. The newer strain, known as clade Ib, is believed to be more lethal; the older, clade IIb, has in some countries spread faster than expected and infected both sexes equally, puzzling scientists.
More than 2,000 people have been confirmed dead from mpox since the beginning of 2024, many of them children. The rollout of vaccines has been slow. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Sierra Leone between them account for almost 80% of cases and deaths. Congo's mpox burden is likely to be much higher than reported, with many cases from 2024 only now being confirmed. Uganda has recorded a large number of deaths among people living with HIV.
Data from the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention show that the number of cases across the continent is shrinking as of mid-2025. Yet progress is hampered by rises in infections in countries responding less effectively. Nigeria has battled mpox for at least three years, which has made it harder to treat the latest outbreak as an urgent emergency.
Most gods throw dice, but Fate plays chess, and you don't find out til too late that he's been playing with two queens all along.