Mpox no longer an emergency but concerns remain, health body says
(VOVWORLD) - Mpox is no longer an international health emergency, the WHO said on Friday, after experts reported falls in infections from the dangerous disease in hot spots across Africa.
 People depart a Primary Health Care Center after receiving mpox vaccination, following the resurgence of mpox cases in Igabi, Kaduna, Nigeria, August 18, 2025. (REUTERS/Nuhu Gwamna/File Photo) |
The UN health agency declared the emergency - its highest level of alert - in August last year, when an outbreak of a new form of mpox started spreading from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries. There had since been "sustained declines in cases" in Congo and other affected countries, the WHO said.
Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body. Children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV, are all at higher risk of complications.
The WHO said Mpox was still a public health concern across the world, but it had decided to downgrade it based on advice from its Emergency Committee, which meets every three months to evaluate the outbreak.