Congo declares end of two-year mpox outbreak after more than 2,200 deaths

Congo has declared the end of a two-year mpox outbreak and said it is no longer a national emergency, according to Health Minister Roger Kamba. The declaration comes after the outbreak was linked to extensive illness and deaths in the country, and after the wider regional spread of mpox led to a global health alert.

Kamba told journalists that the government had determined the outbreak was over. The announcement closes a period in which Congo was described as central to mpox transmission in Africa, with the outbreak spreading to neighboring countries in 2024 and contributing to the World Health Organization’s global health emergency declaration for mpox.

The WHO ended its global health emergency declaration in September, the AP reported. The end of the WHO’s emergency status followed the outbreak’s earlier expansion beyond Congo’s borders, at a time when countries faced difficulties in controlling spread and confirming cases.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said during the outbreak period, spanning 2024 and continuing into 2026, Congo saw more than 161,000 suspected mpox cases. Africa CDC said about 37,000 of those cases were confirmed through testing.

Africa CDC also reported death figures based on suspected and confirmed counts. The organization said Congo recorded 2,286 suspected mpox deaths, with 127 confirmed by tests, reflecting the gap between suspected cases and outcomes that laboratories verified.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, was first identified by scientists in 1958 after outbreaks of a “pox-like” disease in monkeys. The AP said that for many years, most human cases involved people with close contact with infected animals.

In 2022, the AP reported, scientists confirmed that the virus can spread via sex, a finding that later contributed to outbreaks in more than 70 countries that had not previously reported mpox. The AP also said the most common symptoms include a rash and fever, and that while mpox can sometimes cause serious illness, most people recover fully.

The Congo declaration is the latest step in a sequence of outbreak assessments that, at different levels, have moved from emergency response to closure.