GENEVA — The World Health Organization on Saturday formally declared the end of the mpox public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), citing a dramatic and sustained reduction in cases across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and other previously hard-hit nations in Central and East Africa.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, announced the decision at a press conference in Geneva following a unanimous recommendation from the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, which convened earlier this week. "This is a testament to the power of global solidarity and science," Dr. Tedros said. "But we must be clear — the end of the emergency does not mean the end of the response."
The milestone comes as vaccination campaigns led by Africa CDC and supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, surpassed 50 million doses administered across 18 African nations. The rollout of the MVA-BN vaccine, manufactured by Bavarian Nordic, and the LC16 vaccine from KM Biologics accelerated sharply in late 2025 after sustained international funding commitments and the establishment of regional manufacturing capacity in South Africa and Senegal.
At its peak in mid-2025, the clade Ib outbreak was reporting over 12,000 confirmed cases per week across Central and East Africa, with significant cross-border transmission into Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya. Health officials credit a combination of ring vaccination strategies, improved surveillance infrastructure, and community engagement programs for turning the tide. Case counts have now fallen below 200 per week globally for six consecutive weeks.
Despite the optimistic announcement, WHO officials cautioned that endemic transmission of mpox continues in parts of the DRC and that long-term investment in health systems remains critical. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, echoed these concerns, noting that "the infrastructure we built to fight mpox must now be sustained to prevent the next outbreak." Several global health organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, urged donor nations to maintain funding commitments through 2027.
The declaration marks the end of the PHEIC first reinstated in August 2024, making it one of the longer-running emergency designations in WHO history. Public health experts say the response, while ultimately successful, exposed persistent inequities in global vaccine access that must be addressed before the next pandemic threat emerges.