South Africa is seeing a surge in mpox infections, with at least 18 new cases reported – mostly in the Western Cape – while infections across 11 African countries have also alarmed health authorities, leading to the WHO extending its standing recommendations on the disease until August 2027, reports allAfrica.
In South Africa, the National Department of Health has issued a public warning for people to remain vigilant as laboratory-confirmed cases rise, with spokesperson Foster Mohale saying the situation requires “immediate and sustained public co-operation to contain”.
News24 reports that the majority (15) of these cases were reported in Cape Town, while three cases were recorded in Gauteng and one in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Of concern is that 13 of the total cases were reported between 13 August and 17 September, suggesting a rapid local transmission of this preventable viral infection,” said Mohale.
The patients were aged between 23 and 50, with a median age of 36.5 years: 18 of them are males, with only one female.
“One of the cases involved someone who had travelled to Spain this month and returned to South Africa on 14 September. He had already undergone testing in Spain after being informed of his probable case status, and South African health authorities have been in contact with their Spanish counterparts regarding his lab results.”
The symptoms usually appear within six to 13 days after exposure.
“The government, through the support of the World Health Organisation, has secured limited doses of mpox vaccines (Tecovirimat) as part of its outbreak response strategy to disrupt local transmission. Health authorities will decide where and how to use these doses to contain outbreaks,” said Mohale.
Africa escalation
Last week the WHO said it had recorded active transmission of mpox in the six weeks between 6 July and 16 August, with 1 153 confirmed cases and seven deaths.
Madagascar recorded 785 cases, the highest during the period, followed by Angola with 184, Kenya with 94, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with 41, and Cameroon with 28.
WHO noted that weekly confirmed cases have remained “somewhat stable on the continent, with about 200 cases per week in recent weeks”, but cautioned that the figures could be under-estimated, due to reporting delays and reduced surveillance.
Mpox has affected 35 African countries since January 2025.
According to the WHO report, the countries reported 52 424 confirmed mpox cases and 238 deaths between 1 January 2025 and 16 August 2026. Globally, 65 784 confirmed cases and 264 deaths were reported in 105 countries between 1 January 2025 and 31 July 2026.
The WHO said 32 countries reported 1 370 confirmed cases and seven deaths in July alone, with the African region accounting for 74.8% of the cases.
New spread
WHO also reported other new developments in the virus’ spread. Chile and Hungary reported mpox caused by clade Ib for the first time. In contrast, community transmission of the clade was reported in Czechia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Spain had the highest cumulative number of clade Ib cases in the group, with 241, followed by France with 173, Portugal with 162, and Germany with 140.
Madagascar remains the major concern, with the WHO describing its outbreak as the largest mpox outbreak globally and in the African region since December 2025.
As of 16 August, Madagascar had recorded 3 436 confirmed cases and 22 deaths.
Emergency status
The latest development comes months after the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared an end to mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) in January 2026.
At the time, it said the emergency declaration was being lifted as the continent moved from an emergency response towards longer-term control and elimination of the disease.
The agency reported that suspected mpox cases had fallen by 40% and confirmed cases by 60% between early and late 2025, while the suspected case fatality ratio fell from 2.6% to 0.6%.
However, it stressed that mpox remained endemic in some settings and that vaccination would remain central to the response.
The WHO now considers the ongoing multi-country outbreak a graded health emergency, and said it would be extending its standing recommendations on mpox until August next year.
News24 article – Mpox cases surge, with new outbreak in Western Cape (Restricted access)
AllAfrica article – Africa: 11 African Countries Record 1,153 Mpox Cases in Six Weeks (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
WHO ends mpox public health emergency, Africa CDC extends it
Mpox: ‘Nobody is safe until Africa is safe’
First mpox cases in Guinea-Bissau
Explosive mpox outbreak batters Madagascar
Mpox cases rise in South Africa, Mozambique