The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has seen a surge in Mpox transmission and suspected Ebola cases over the past days, attributing the spread of the disease to ongoing war in the country.
In a weekly media briefing on Thursday night, Africa CDC director general Jean Kaseya said ongoing security challenges in DRC, where conflict in Goma had escalated, have increased Mpox transmission and suspected Ebola cases.
“This week started with an open war in Goma. This week also started with suspected Ebola cases in DRC and ongoing Mpox and cholera outbreaks,” he said.
He revealed that the ongoing crisis in the DRC had significantly disrupted disease surveillance and response efforts.
Africa CDC data revealed that 12 African countries are in the active phase of Mpox outbreak – DRC, Burundi, CAR, Côte d’ Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Zambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
According to Kaseya, nine African countries are currently in the control phase of Mpox while Mauritius, South Africa, Morocco, Gabon and Zimbabwe have reported no confirmed cases for more than 90 days.
He said 9,959 Mpox cases were notified, of which 2,099 were confirmed cases and 85 deaths reported from 12 countries in 2025.
The Central Africa region remains the most affected by the ongoing mpox outbreak, which has affected all five regions of Africa, both in terms of the number of cases and the death toll.
He said countries need to decentralize mpox testing, enhance laboratory infrastructure, and combat misinformation about the virus.
MG/jn/APA