Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
March 17, 2025
Clade I Mpox Outbreak Originating in Central Africa
What to know
Situation summary
In the United States
Learn more about which activities may put you at increased risk of exposure when you travel to a country where clade I MPXV is spreading.
CDC has updated prevention and vaccination recommendations for people traveling to countries with clade I outbreaks. As of March 17, 2025, these countries include Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia.
In Central and Eastern Africa
Mpox cases are occurring in several countries in Central and Eastern Africa
CDC has been supporting DRC mpox research and response for more than 20 years. CDC and other U.S. government agencies are on the ground in DRC helping partners in the country with disease surveillance, laboratory capacity including testing materials, strengthening workforce capacity, case investigation, case management, infection prevention and control, border health, and risk communication and community engagement. DRC has approved the use of vaccines in-country, so CDC is working with other U.S. government agencies and partners on a strategy for vaccination in DRC.
CDC is working with Ministries of Health and in-country partners across the region on disease surveillance, laboratory capacity including testing materials, strengthening workforce capacity, case investigation, case management, infection prevention and control, border health, and risk communication and community engagement.
More about US and global mpox cases and outbreaks
Learn more about outbreaks of clade I and clade II mpox on the Mpox Current Situation page. View Larger
CDC staff in Burundi with donated laboratory supplies to be used for mpox testing Cases reported outside Central and Eastern Africa
Several countries in other parts of Africa as well as Asia, Europe, North America, and South America have confirmed clade I mpox cases mostly in travelers who'd recently been in areas with clade I outbreaks. Mpox has spread to household or close contacts in only a few cases.
A single person or household with mpox is not cause for widespread concern, since public health authorities can quickly identify, isolate, and treat the person or family, and the risk of spread to other people and households can be minimized. Rapid response measures, such as contact tracing and vaccination, can effectively stop disease spread in these situations.
Confirmed Clade I and Clade II Mpox Cases
Skip Over Map Container
Countries reporting mpox by clade since January 1, 2024
Aggregated mpox case data Skipped data table.
Notes: Case data reported in humans to WHO since January 1, 2024, are provided for situational awareness and subject to change. Confirmed cases include those laboratory-confirmed as monkeypox virus and may include cases only confirmed as orthopoxvirus. For more information and additional limitations, see WHO-reported data at 2022-24 Mpox (Monkeypox) Outbreak: Global Trends (shinyapps.io).
Source: 2022-24 Mpox Outbreak: Global Trends. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2024. Available online: https://worldhealthorg.shinyapps.io/mpx_global/ (last cited: August 27, 2024)
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https://www.cdc.gov/mpox/outbreaks/2023/index.html
Clade I Mpox Outbreak Originating in Central Africa
What to know
- Since January 1, 2024, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and several neighboring countries in Central and Eastern Africa have confirmed through laboratory testing more than 21,000 mpox cases and more than 65 deaths.
- There have also been travel-associated cases in other parts of Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, and South America.
- The risk of clade I mpox to the public in the U.S. remains low.
Situation summary
In the United States
- The first case of clade I mpox in the United States was detected in November 2024.
- The Georgia Department of Public Health reported the second case of clade I mpox in the U.S. in January 2025.
- The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services reported the third case of clade I mpox in February 2025.
- The New York State Department of Health reported the fourth case of clade I mpox in February 2025.
- No additional cases have been reported.
- The cases are not linked. All four individuals traveled from areas experiencing clade I mpox transmission and sought medical care for mpox symptoms after arriving in the U.S.
- CDC has assessed the risk to the United States posed by the clade I mpox outbreak in Central and Eastern Africa.
- The risk to the general population is assessed as low.
- The current risk to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) who have more than one sexual partner, and people who have sex with MSM partners, is assessed as low to moderate.
- The risk might change as more information becomes available.
Learn more about which activities may put you at increased risk of exposure when you travel to a country where clade I MPXV is spreading.
CDC has updated prevention and vaccination recommendations for people traveling to countries with clade I outbreaks. As of March 17, 2025, these countries include Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia.
In Central and Eastern Africa
- There are several outbreaks happening at the same time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with cases reported throughout the country, in the capital city of Kinshasa, and in some other large cities.
- Clade Ia mpox cases are impacting the western part of DRC. Although most cases have not been laboratory-confirmed, available data indicate that clade Ia mpox is spreading through multiple modes of transmission, including contact with infected dead or live wild animals, household contact often involving crowded households, or sexual contact.
- Clade Ib mpox cases were recently identified in eastern DRC. Available data indicate that these cases are mostly spreading through intimate or sexual contact between adults at first, then spread likely occurs within households, including to children.
- The bordering countries of Republic of the Congo (ROC) and Central African Republic (CAR), where clade I mpox occurs regularly, are experiencing clade Ia mpox outbreaks; some of the cases appear to be linked to spread from DRC.
- In summer and fall 2024, the disease spread to neighboring countries to the east of DRC that are not known to be endemic for the virus that causes mpox, and sustained local spread occurred. These include Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. In winter 2024, Kenya and Zambia began experiencing local human-to-human transmission.
- Person-to-person transmission has occurred during this outbreak, including through sexual contact, household contact, and within healthcare settings, when personal protective equipment was not available.
CDC has been supporting DRC mpox research and response for more than 20 years. CDC and other U.S. government agencies are on the ground in DRC helping partners in the country with disease surveillance, laboratory capacity including testing materials, strengthening workforce capacity, case investigation, case management, infection prevention and control, border health, and risk communication and community engagement. DRC has approved the use of vaccines in-country, so CDC is working with other U.S. government agencies and partners on a strategy for vaccination in DRC.
CDC is working with Ministries of Health and in-country partners across the region on disease surveillance, laboratory capacity including testing materials, strengthening workforce capacity, case investigation, case management, infection prevention and control, border health, and risk communication and community engagement.
More about US and global mpox cases and outbreaks
Learn more about outbreaks of clade I and clade II mpox on the Mpox Current Situation page. View Larger
Several countries in other parts of Africa as well as Asia, Europe, North America, and South America have confirmed clade I mpox cases mostly in travelers who'd recently been in areas with clade I outbreaks. Mpox has spread to household or close contacts in only a few cases.
A single person or household with mpox is not cause for widespread concern, since public health authorities can quickly identify, isolate, and treat the person or family, and the risk of spread to other people and households can be minimized. Rapid response measures, such as contact tracing and vaccination, can effectively stop disease spread in these situations.
- Information for travelers is available at Preventing Mpox While Traveling. When traveling to a country with ongoing human-to-human clade I MPXV transmission:
- Review the CDC Travel Health Notice for Central and Eastern Africa before traveling.
- Learn more about which activities may increase your risk of exposure when you travel to a country where clade I MPXV is spreading.
Confirmed Clade I and Clade II Mpox Cases
Skip Over Map Container
Countries reporting mpox by clade since January 1, 2024
- Clade I
- Clade II
- Clade I and Clade II
- Clade Unknown
- Not reported
Aggregated mpox case data Skipped data table.
Notes: Case data reported in humans to WHO since January 1, 2024, are provided for situational awareness and subject to change. Confirmed cases include those laboratory-confirmed as monkeypox virus and may include cases only confirmed as orthopoxvirus. For more information and additional limitations, see WHO-reported data at 2022-24 Mpox (Monkeypox) Outbreak: Global Trends (shinyapps.io).
Source: 2022-24 Mpox Outbreak: Global Trends. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2024. Available online: https://worldhealthorg.shinyapps.io/mpx_global/ (last cited: August 27, 2024)
...
https://www.cdc.gov/mpox/outbreaks/2023/index.html