The mpox emergencies are over — twice. The virus isn't
Two emergency declarations, two different end dates, one shared warning. The mpox story shows why 'the emergency is over' and 'the disease is over' are different sentences — and why Vozia labels them differently.
Key points
- WHO ended its mpox global emergency on 5 September 2025 — it had run since 14 August 2024.
- Africa CDC kept its continental emergency months longer, lifting it in January 2026.
- Confirmed cases fell 60% between early and late 2025; fatality rate fell from 2.6% to 0.6%.
- Both agencies warn transmission continues — why 'mpox is finished' is labelled disputed.
What happened
Mpox spread across several African countries in 2024 badly enough that the World Health Organization declared it a global health emergency — a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) — on 14 August 2024, and Africa CDC declared a continental emergency of its own. Through 2025, case numbers fell steadily in the worst-affected countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Sierra Leone and Uganda.
The two agencies then separated. WHO ended its emergency on 5 September 2025, citing sustained declines. Africa CDC kept its continental emergency running, pointing at continued transmission, and only lifted it in January 2026, after confirmed cases fell 60% between early and late 2025 and the fatality rate dropped from 2.6% to 0.6%. Both agencies stress the same point: the declarations have ended, the virus has not.
Claim by claim
Why this label: WHO declared the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 14 August 2024 and terminated it on 5 September 2025, citing sustained declines in several countries.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Africa CDC lifted its Public Health Emergency of Continental Security in January 2026, months after the WHO decision. The Director-General cited a 60% drop in confirmed cases and a fall in fatality rate from 2.6% to 0.6% between early and late 2025.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Both agencies said transmission is ongoing and surveillance must be sustained. Ending an emergency declaration is a legal and funding step, not a declaration that the virus is gone — medical experts who call the outbreak 'over' are arguing with the agencies' own caveats.
On the ladder: credible sources conflict, so we show both workings. One side's own statement is that side's position — never proof.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- Both declaration dates and both ending dates.
- The case and fatality declines Africa CDC cited (60%; 2.6% to 0.6%).
- More than 5 million vaccine doses were delivered across 16 countries.
What we don't know yet
- Whether surveillance and vaccine supply will be sustained now the emergencies have ended.
Why it matters
Emergency declarations unlock money, vaccines and attention. When they end, those things tend to stop — even if the virus hasn't. Knowing exactly what changed, and when, is the difference between a population that stays careful and one that assumes the danger has passed.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Story published as a explainer of both agencies' decisions.