Congo Declares Mpox Outbreak Over After 2 Years & 2,200+ Deaths

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has declared the end of its two-year mpox outbreak, according to reports from the Associated Press and The Washington Post on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The outbreak, which began in December 2022, resulted in over 2,200 suspected deaths.

The DRC’s Health Minister announced the end of the national emergency status, signaling a significant step forward in controlling the disease within the country. This declaration follows a period of increasing concern over the spread of mpox, particularly in the provinces of South Kivu and North Kivu.

Outbreak Details and Transmission

As of May 26, 2024, a total of 7,851 mpox cases had been reported in the DRC, with a case fatality rate of 4.9%, resulting in 384 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The cases were distributed across 177 of the country’s 519 health zones, spanning 22 of the 26 provinces.

The outbreak in South Kivu province, which began in September 2023, was primarily driven by sexual contact transmission. This marked the first documented instance of sustained community transmission of mpox in the DRC.

New Viral Variant Identified

Health officials identified a new variant of clade I MPXV in South Kivu. This variant carries APOBEC3-type mutations, suggesting adaptation of the virus for human-to-human transmission. It is estimated to have emerged around mid-September 2023 and has been undergoing ongoing transmission since then.

The WHO notes that it is currently unknown whether this new variant is more transmissible or causes more severe disease compared to other clade I MPXV strains. The variant carries gene deletions that affect diagnostic testing within the DRC.

Mpox in the DRC and the African Region

To date, only clade I MPXV has been detected in the DRC, which reports the highest number of cases within the WHO African region. The initial detection of the Mpox virus occurred in 1970, nine months after the DRC declared smallpox extinct.

The DRC declared a national outbreak of mpox in December 2022, and an incident management system was established in February 2023 to address the growing number of reported cases.

“Congo on Thursday declared the end of a two-year outbreak of the mpox disease that’s believed to have caused more than 2,200 deaths in the country.”

The Washington Post

The declaration of the end of the outbreak signifies a major public health achievement for the DRC, though continued vigilance and monitoring will be crucial to prevent future outbreaks. The identification of the new viral variant underscores the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance to track the evolution of the virus and inform public health strategies.