WHO Lifts Global Mpox Emergency as Cases Decline Worldwide

As of September 5th, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the mpox outbreak no longer represents a global public health emergency. This decision comes after a steady decline in cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other affected countries, including Burundi, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.

The WHO initially declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in August 2024, following a two-pronged mpox epidemic that primarily affected the DRC. However, the situation has since improved, with a better understanding of the drivers of transmission and enhanced response capabilities in the most affected regions.

Despite the downgrade, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that the threat is not over. "Lifting the emergency declaration does not mean the threat is over, nor that our response will stop," he stated, noting that the situation remains a continental emergency in Africa. The African Union's public health watchdog also expressed concerns that the current downward trends are not yet stable enough to justify lifting the emergency at the continental level.

Mpox, caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox, can be transmitted to humans by infected animals and can also spread between people through close physical contact. The disease, first detected in humans in 1970 in the DRC, causes fever, muscular aches, and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be deadly.