Mpox in African countries
16 Aug 2024
The World Health Organization has announced the current outbreak of mpox in African countries is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) with potential to spread to other countries in and outside Africa.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reports 13 African countries have recorded cases in the latest update of 9 August 2024.
Countries affected are:
Burundi: 225 cases
Cameroon: 35 cases (2 deaths)
Central African Republic: 258 cases
Congo: 169 cases (1 death)
Cote d'Ivoire: 2 cases
Democratic Republic of Congo: 16 789 cases (511 deaths)
Ghana: 4 cases
Liberia: 5 cases
Kenya: 1 case
Nigeria: 24 cases
Rwanda: 2 cases
South Africa: 24 cases (3 deaths)
Uganda: 2 cases
Advice to Travellers
If you are travelling to countries where mpox is present you should:
- practise careful hand hygiene if you are visiting or caring for ill friends and relatives
- avoid contact with monkeys and rodents (rats, mice and squirrels) and avoid eating undercooked meat from these animals
- wear protective clothing, including gloves, if you are involved in the slaughter or care of animals in these regions
If you are travelling to any destination and will be sexually active during travel (including GBMSM) you should:
- be aware of the risk of mpox
- practise safe sex
- avoid close, including sexual contact, with someone who is unwell and may have mpox.
Seek medical advice during or for 21 days after travelling if you develop symptoms of mpox and have had close contact with someone who may have mpox, or have returned from from a country where mpox is present
- make sure you are checked for malaria if you are returning from a country where mpox is present with a fever or flu-like illness
While a vaccine specifically against mpox is not available, the smallpox vaccine provides some protection.
- for information about the vaccine, see NHS inform (Scotland) and NHS.UK (rest of UK)
For further information on the disease and how you can protect yourself, see the Mpox, Sexual Health Risks and LGBT travellers pages.
Advice to travellers will be updated as appropriate.