The mpox outbreak
A disease endemic to west and central Africa spreads worldwide through sexual networks.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 1 years
- Known to
- ± 12 hours
- Era
- Contemporary, Holocene
From May 2022 mpox appeared in dozens of countries with no travel link to where it is endemic, spreading overwhelmingly through sexual contact between men. The WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern in July. Vaccination and behaviour change brought it down within months in wealthy countries — while the far deadlier clade circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which had been neglected for decades, continued.