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For the second time in two years, the World Health Organization has declared MPOX a global public health emergency after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to neighboring countries.
Since then, new cases have been confirmed outside the African continent, including in Thailand, the Philippines, Sweden and Pakistan.
Health officials have expressed concern because many of the new cases in Africa have been identified as a new, more deadly strain of the virus, known as lineage 1b, which has also been identified outside the continent in Thailand.
CNBC breaks down what we know so far.
What is mpox?
Mpox is a viral infection that is spread through close contact, including sexual contact. It causes flu-like symptoms, including fever, chills, muscle aches and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild, but can be fatal.
MPOX has two types, known as clades, with the most recent outbreak identified as clade 1. The current clade appears to spread more easily and be more deadly than the 2022 clade, known as clade 2.
It also disproportionately affects young people, with most deaths appearing to be children.
Why are cases increasing?
According to the WHO, a new lineage that branched off from lineage 1, called lineage 1b, is said to be responsible for the recent increase in the number of infections.
The WHO said lineage 1b is often transmitted from person to person through sexual contact. Lineage 1b was first identified in 2024 but is thought to have emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo around 2023.
“The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo linked to lineage Ib is mainly affecting adults and is spreading rapidly. It is sustained mainly but not exclusively by transmission linked to sexual contacts, and in networks linked to commercial sex activities and sex workers,” the health agency said in a statement on August 19.
Where is the case?
In addition to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lineage 1b cases have been confirmed in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Thailand.
Lineage 1 cases have been reported in the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, and Sweden.
Milder cases associated with lineage 2 have been reported in Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, the Philippines and Pakistan.
What does the WHO declaration mean?
The “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” status is the WHO's highest designation and is intended to accelerate international public health responses and cooperation to contain the disease.
“It is clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop this spread and save lives,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said when declaring the outbreak on August 14.
“The detection and rapid spread of a new strain of MPOX in eastern DRC, its detection in neighbouring countries where MPOX has not previously been reported, and the potential for further spread within and beyond Africa are of great concern,” he added.
However, Dr Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, stressed last week that Mpox is “not COVID-19”.
In a statement on Tuesday, Kluj rejected comparisons between MPOX and the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the risk to the general public was low.
“We can and must work together across regions and continents on MPOX,” Kluj said.
What are the authorities doing?
A vaccine exists to treat the virus, but access has been an issue, and WHO is currently working with countries and vaccine manufacturers to expand access to the vaccine in affected countries.
The UN health agency said it has released $1.45 million in emergency funding so far and may need to release more in the coming days, and that its response plan expects it will initially need $15 million in emergency funding.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said it had partnered with vaccine manufacturer Bayern Nordic to supply 2 million doses of the vaccine this year, and 10 million by the end of 2025, in addition to existing vaccines.
Bayern Nordic said it was also supplying the vaccine to countries outside Africa and was seeking approval from European Union medicines regulators to expand the MPOX vaccine's use to teenagers.
