Diseases & conditions

The Mpox Global Public Health Emergency

AUG 22 2022·Updated JUN 3 2025

Context

Above: Social mobilizers and health professionals put up a banner to raise awareness about mpox ahead of the vaccination campaign launch at Goma General Hospital on October 5, 2024. Image credit: Aubin Mukoni/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

Background: Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a rare viral disease from the same family as smallpox. It begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by a rash with lesions that can last two to four weeks. It was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks occurred in colonies of research monkeys. African rodents and non-human primates may also carry the virus, and the fire-footed rope squirrel has also been identified as a potential disease reservoir. The first human case was reported in 1970. Before 2022, mpox had only been documented in central and west African countries or among travelers to the region.
NPR
Mpox
Scientific American
Outbreaks: In May 2022, an outbreak of mpox was confirmed in the U.K., with cases later reported in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, marking the first widespread outbreak outside Central and West Africa. The outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern but this ended in May 2023 after cases declined. In August 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) reinstated this classification due to a surge in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries.
Bloomberg School of Public Health
WHO Director
The Lancet
Transmission: Mpox spreads through close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person, or recently contaminated items. Respiratory transmission typically requires prolonged face-to-face contact as can occur with health care workers, household members, or close contacts. While early studies suggested that mpox was largely sexually transmitted, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed in September 2024 that "close or skin-to-skin contact during sexual intercourse is the main route of sexual transmission."
WHO
NCBI
Emerging Infectious Diseases journal
Cases: As of April 30, 2025, there were 138,830 confirmed cases globally, with the majority in Europe and North and South America, up from 81,599 on Nov. 11, 2022. The U.S. alone had 34,859 cases. There have been 328 global deaths, though this is likely an undercount. While anyone can contract or spread mpox, the disease has disproportionately affected men who have sex with men, with the CDC estimating that one-time partnerships between men account for nearly 50% of transmissions.
Our World in Data
US News & World Report
HRC
Treatment: Most cases of mpox resolve on their own. In the U.S., the CDC recommends antiviral treatments for those with severe cases, as well as for the immunocompromised, pregnant women, and children under eight. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also approved a vaccine to reduce the severity of illness in individuals with close contact to an infected person.
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Prevention: To prevent contracting mpox, health agencies recommend avoiding skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash, scabs, or lesions, as well as avoiding close contact, including sexual contact, with confirmed cases. Other prevention measures include hand washing and using hand sanitizer.
Cleveland Clinic

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

The WHO has stepped up and led the global response to mpox efficiently and promptly. The global community can now build off of the lessons learned from COVID, utilizing familiar tools such as testing, contact tracing, quarantine, and vaccines. With a focus on protecting the most vulnerable, governments worldwide should be equipped with the systems and processes needed to manage this new case of zoonotic spillover on the global stage.

NCBI

Establishment-critical narrative

The struggle to contain mpox isn't new, but the lackadaisical response by the WHO, particularly for African countries, is disgraceful. The delay in declaring the virus a global public health emergency hindered the allocation of critical resources. Alongside the shortage of testing kits, vaccine distribution has been challenging. As with COVID, there remains an inequitable distribution of mpox vaccines, deepening the divide between the haves and the have-nots in public health.

Scientific American

Narrative C

Public health authorities and much of the media, in trying to avoid stigma, downplayed that up to 98% of mpox cases occurred among men who have sex with men — especially those with multiple partners or attending group-sex venues — obscuring data needed for targeted testing, vaccination, and treatment. Sensational headlines framing mpox as a “gay disease” only reinforced homophobic tropes, driving shame and discouraging care. Echoing the early AIDS crisis, this refusal to name who was most at risk eroded trust and blunted the effectiveness of the entire response.

wapo

Narrative D

The spread of mpox is yet another indicator of humanity's arrival at the "Pandemicene" era. From climate change and deforestation to exploitative food production systems and supply chains that harm both animals and vulnerable communities, the conditions for zoonotic spillover events are more widespread than ever. The global pandemic health preparedness and response system must be urgently updated and strengthened.