What is mpox? Is the virus present in the US? Here’s everything you need to know.

 A previous version of this story inaccurately identified a country where the new mpox strain has been detected. The story has since been updated.

A highly contagious and severe strain of mpox is spreading across continents following a significant outbreak in central Africa.

The rise in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and several other African nations led the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency for the second time in two years. Shortly after, Swedish officials reported their first case of the mpox virus.

While the new strain has not yet reached the United States, U.S. health officials are preparing for the possibility.

Here’s what you need to know about mpox and the latest outbreak.

A previous version of this story misstated the country where the new mpox strain has been detected. The story has now been corrected.

A highly contagious and severe strain of mpox is spreading across continents after a major outbreak in central Africa.

The increase in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and several other African nations led the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency for the second time in two years. The following day, Swedish officials reported their first case of the mpox virus.

Although the new strain has not yet reached the United States, health officials are actively preparing for the possibility.

Here’s what you need to know about mpox and the current outbreak.

Mpox is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans. However, it can also spread from person to person through direct physical contact, according to the CDC.

Since 2016, there has been an increase in human-to-human transmissions, as noted by Politico.

Mpox comes in two main types: clade I and clade II. Clade I is typically found in central Africa, while clade II is endemic to West Africa. A new variant of clade I, known as Ib, seems to spread more easily.

Is there an mpox outbreak?

Yes, there has been a significant outbreak. Since 2023, Congo and neighboring countries have experienced worsening outbreaks. In 2024 alone, central and eastern Africa have reported over 17,000 infections and more than 500 deaths from mpox, primarily in Congo, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. This year, mpox outbreaks have been documented in 13 African nations, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Central African Republic.

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This represents a substantial rise from the 14,957 cases reported in 2023 and 7,146 cases in 2022.

Last Thursday marked the first case of mpox identified outside Africa, when it was discovered that a traveler from Sweden had returned from Africa with the disease.

The Africa CDC has reported 500 deaths and, amid fears of further spread, has sought international medical assistance by issuing its own emergency declaration. This alert, termed a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), is the highest level of alert under international health law, according to the WHO.

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota estimates that approximately 10 million vaccine doses are required to address the outbreaks in Africa.

The U.S. has pledged to donate 50,000 vaccine doses to Congo, but experts anticipate that millions more will be necessary from Western nations, especially the U.S., to effectively combat the virus. Achieving this will require a substantial increase in vaccine production by manufacturers.

Is mpox in the US?

Currently, the new mpox strain has not been reported in the U.S., but officials are preparing for its potential arrival.

In a recent alert, the CDC assessed the risk of mpox spreading in the U.S. as “very low” at this time.

The CDC has issued a health alert and travel notice regarding the stronger mpox strain in Congo and neighboring countries. They recommend that healthcare providers and agencies stay vigilant for signs of the disease and inquire about recent travel to affected areas.

In the U.S., there are still occasional reports of cases each week, but these are from a different strain, clade II, associated with the 2022 outbreak, according to Reuters.