The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has revealed that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, and Uganda together account for over 84% of mpox cases reported across the continent.
This figure, based on data from epidemiological week 25 of 2025, highlights the heavy burden of the disease on these three countries, despite an overall decline in cases.
Speaking at a news conference held via webinar on Friday, Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa CDC, stated that the DRC alone is responsible for 62% of all confirmed cases on the continent since the onset of the current outbreak.
“While we’ve seen a consistent decline in mpox cases across Africa in the last six weeks, the burden remains overwhelmingly concentrated in just a few countries.
“This calls for tailored and intensified response efforts in these hotspots, ” Mr Kaseya stated.
The Director-General of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Jean Kaseya, has disclosed that between January 2024 and June 2025, the continent recorded more than 75,630 suspected mpox cases and 25,175 confirmed cases, with 574 deaths.
Mr Kaseya said Uganda, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accounted for a significant share of these figures, noting that Uganda reported over 6,900 confirmed cases, Sierra Leone 4,297, and the DRC 27,940.
He highlighted growing concern over the rising proportion of children affected, revealing that in Burundi, “nearly 47% of confirmed cases are children”. Similarly, in Uganda, “over 11 per cent of confirmed mpox patients are children under 15”.
Mr Kaseya also pointed out that men represent more than two-thirds of confirmed cases across the continent, suggesting the need for further study into potential gender-based exposure patterns.
Despite achieving a 100% testing rate for samples received in most countries, he said testing coverage remained low overall due to logistical challenges.
“Poor sample transportation, especially in remote areas of the DRC and Sierra Leone, remains a major setback,” he said.
However, he praised recent improvements in Sierra Leone, where “rapid test result turnaround time is now 2.5 days” and positivity rates stand at 85 per cent, reflecting targeted and effective testing.

On vaccination efforts, Mr Kaseya noted that over 698,000 people across 11 countries had received at least one dose of the mpox vaccine. He said, “Sierra Leone successfully vaccinated over 70,000 people during its second round of the campaign, which began on 23 June.” The DRC continues to lead the vaccination drive, having immunised more than 530,000 people—accounting for 75% of the continent’s total.
Yet, he warned that “vaccine stockouts remain a critical bottleneck”, with shortages reported in countries such as Liberia and parts of Sierra Leone.
Mr Kaseya acknowledged that the response had faced hurdles, noting that “several treatment centres in Uganda and the DRC face shortages of essential medicines, fuel for ambulances, and gaps in hygiene staffing”. He added that case management units in Ugandan cities like Entebbe and Fort Portal were overstretched, with admissions surpassing capacity.
Nonetheless, he pointed to positive developments. “Supportive care protocols and ongoing health worker training are yielding improved outcomes, with the case fatality rate gradually falling to 0.5 per cent continent-wide,” he said.
Mr Kaseya urged African Union member states to adopt “an integrated emergency response” that addresses both mpox and concurrent cholera outbreaks, particularly in areas affected by climate shocks, conflict, and fragile sanitation systems.
“The mpox epidemic remains a public health emergency of continental security (PHECS), and we must not relent in our efforts,” he stressed.
Mpox is a viral illness that resembles smallpox and is transmitted through close contact. It leads to symptoms such as fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes, and can be particularly severe in children and individuals with weakened immune systems.