Mpox outbreak

Situation in the Region of the Americas

On 14 August 2024, that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa, constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR). The emergence and rapid spread of the new clade 1b virus strain in the DRC, its detection in neighboring countries, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond the continent, were significant factors in the declaration of the PHEIC.

This is the second PHEIC determination related to mpox within the past two years. On July 2022, a multi-country outbreak of mpox was declared a PHEIC due to its rapid global spread across multiple as it spread rapidly across a range of countries where the virus had not been seen before. That PHEIC was declared over in May 2023 after a sustained decline in global cases.

SITUATION REPORTS

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ALERTS AND UPDATEs

Frequently asked questions

Advice for the public

Technical Resources

Communication Resources

PAHO's response

The �� / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) supports the Member States with surveillance, preparedness, and outbreak response activities for mpox in affected countries.

Given the occurrence of cases of mpox in countries within and outside of the Region of the Americas, PAHO activated its standard emergency procedures (SEPs) and established an incident management team with the active participation of personnel from over 15 entities of PAHO/HQ to ensure a timely response to the outbreak and lead preparedness efforts in the Member States. Moreover, PAHO was the first WHO region to make vaccines available to countries in the region as part of the emergency response to the Mpox outbreak. First shipments were prioritized according to the epidemiological situation reported by the countries.

The response is currently focused on four main pillars. For the most up-to-date information read the latest situation report.