African health authorities have officially lifted the classification of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), marking a significant milestone in the continent’s long and complex battle against the viral disease. The decision, announced on 22 January 2026, comes after sustained progress in controlling transmission, reducing fatalities, and strengthening public health capacity across Africa. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the regional health agency of the African Union made the announcement following recommendations from its Emergency Consultative Group (ECG), which reviewed the epidemiological trends and response outcomes over recent months.
Mpox formerly widely known as monkeypox first triggered heightened public health concern in Africa during the past few years due to a dramatic upsurge in cases, particularly in Central and East Africa. In August 2024, Africa CDC declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security, reflecting widespread transmission and mounting deaths, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which reported the vast majority of cases and fatalities that year.

Under the emergency declaration, African governments, health workers, scientific institutions, and international partners worked together through a unified Incident Management Support Team (IMST) to coordinate efforts, streamline funding, scale up surveillance and diagnostics, and expand vaccination campaigns. Over US$1 billion was mobilized, more than 5 million vaccine doses deployed in 16 countries, and laboratory capacities enhanced more than ten‑fold. These combined efforts have had measurable impact: suspected cases dropped by around 40 % and confirmed cases by 60 % between the peaks of early and late 2025, while the case fatality rate fell sharply.

Africa CDC Director General, Dr. Jean Kaseya, said the decision to lift the emergency reflects not only progress against disease transmission, but also Africa’s growing capacity to lead major public health responses. However, he stressed that Mpox remains a public health concern, particularly in regions where the virus is still endemic. “This decision does not mark the end of mpox in Africa,” Dr. Kaseya noted, adding that continued vigilance, investment, and innovation will be crucial to prevent resurgence. The move signals a transition from crisis response toward long‑term prevention, preparedness, and control measures.

To support this transition, Africa CDC and partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), are launching a Mpox Transition Roadmap, a strategic framework designed to sustain gains made during the emergency phase while strengthening national health systems for future outbreaks. Vaccination remains central to the plan, alongside improved surveillance, laboratory networks, risk communication, and research into immunity and vaccine effectiveness. Public health experts caution that lifting the emergency should not lead to complacency. Mpox continues to circulate at low to moderate levels in several countries, and flare‑ups remain possible, especially in vulnerable populations such as children and people living with HIV. This shift parallels the WHO’s own downgrade of Mpox as a global Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in September 2025, a decision based on a sustained decline in cases and stronger response capacity in affected countries. But like the Africa CDC, WHO underscored that ending the highest alert status does not mean the threat has disappeared.

Africa’s response to Mpox with its “4‑Ones” principle of one team, one plan, one budget, one monitoring and evaluation framework is now being seen as a scalable model for tackling other epidemic‑prone diseases such as cholera, diphtheria, measles, and polio. This integrated approach is expected to strengthen Africa’s overall health security and pandemic preparedness over the long term. As African nations move into this next phase, sustained funding, community engagement, regional cooperation, and global partnership remain key to consolidating progress and safeguarding public health gains for the future.