The Mpox Outbreak 2025: A Call for Coordinated Global Action and Equity

The multi-country Mpox (monkeypox) outbreak remains an important issue of global public health, with reported cases of 44,299 and 180 deaths, respectively, in 93 countries by September 2025. Although Africa remains the epicentre, with almost 40,000 cases within countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia, Kenya, and Ghana, Europe and South-East Asia have also become new hotspots due to the growing clade Ib virus strain. It is a strain that spreads mostly among men who have sex with men, creating new difficulties because of declining vaccine immunity and the influx of immunologically naive groups. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) are collaborating to implement robust surveillance, vaccination, and clinical care activities. To date, more than 1.16 million doses of vaccine have been delivered in Africa, utilising dose-sparing measures. Constant loopholes remain, such as contact tracing, resource insufficiency, and data latencies. The vision of the future requires increased vaccination, combined with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) services, improved genomic surveillance, and increased global collaboration. Constant observation, reactionary measures, and fair resource distribution are crucial in preventing transmission and protecting at-risk groups.