Uganda has emerged as a global hotspot for MPOX, reporting the most confirmed cases worldwide in the past six weeks.
The country records up to 300 new cases per week, highlighting the urgent gap in containment efforts.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3,191 new MPOX cases were confirmed worldwide in February 2025, down 18.2% from the previous month.
However, Africa remains the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for 88% of new cases.
Countries like Burundi have steadily declined in cases, but Uganda’s numbers continue to rise sharply, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current response strategies.
The escalation of Uganda’s MPOX crisis highlights potential failures in surveillance, healthcare preparation and public consciousness.
Elsewhere, Burundi continues to show a downward trend, with fewer than 50 new cases per week currently reporting a decline since its peak.
Brazil, the Republic of the Congo and Tanzania have reported the first cases of MPOX due to the clade IB strain.
In particular, the Republic of Congo became the first country other than DRC, where both clade IA and clade IB strains are cocirculated.
Uganda is struggling to contain the outbreak, so urgent intervention is needed.
This includes increased testing and surveillance, increased access to vaccines, improved hospital preparations and launching targeted public health campaigns.
The country is currently at the heart of the global health emergency.
Will Uganda’s response change over time to curb this crisis, or will the country bear the brunt of the global MPOX burden?
