CAPE TOWN, South Africa – After two years of widespread transmission that claimed thousands of lives, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) formally announced the end of its devastating mpox outbreak on Thursday, lifting the classification of the virus as a national public health emergency.
Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba confirmed the declaration to reporters, stating that national health authorities had formally determined the outbreak had been brought under control. The central African nation bore the brunt of a resurgent mpox wave that emerged in 2024, with transmission spilling across DRC’s borders into neighboring countries and prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the event a global health emergency that same year. The WHO rolled back that global emergency designation in September 2024.
Data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) shows that between 2024 and 2025, the DRC recorded more than 161,000 suspected mpox cases, with approximately 37,000 of those cases confirmed via laboratory testing. Across the outbreak, 2,286 deaths were suspected to be linked to mpox, though only 127 of those fatalities were verified through diagnostic testing.
First documented by researchers in 1958, when pox-like lesions were observed in research monkey colonies, mpox (formerly called monkeypox) long remained a rare zoonotic infection restricted largely to central and West Africa. For decades, nearly all confirmed human cases occurred in people who had close direct contact with infected wild animals.
That epidemiological pattern shifted dramatically in 2022, when scientists confirmed for the first time that mpox could spread through close sexual contact. That discovery came as the virus sparked unexpected outbreaks across more than 70 countries that had never previously reported sustained local mpox transmission, triggering a global public health response.
According to WHO guidance, the most prevalent symptoms of mpox infection include the development of a characteristic rash and fever, though the virus can cause severe complications in vulnerable populations in some cases. The vast majority of infected people eventually make a full recovery with appropriate care.
This reporting is part of AP News’ Africa Pulse coverage, supported by a grant from the Gates Foundation. The Associated Press maintains full editorial independence over all its content, with public transparency standards for philanthropic partnerships available on AP.org.