In September 2024, the last month for which complete global surveillance data is available, 2763 confirmed mpox cases were reported. This is the highest number of cases since November 2022 and marks an increasing trend in the number of reported confirmed mpox cases globally, driven by the increase in the African Region, followed by the Western Pacific Region.
Outside Africa, the highest number of confirmed cases in September 2024 was reported by Australia. The country is currently experiencing an increasing outbreak of clade IIb MPXV, affecting mainly men who have sex with men and are infected through sexual contact.
The rise in mpox cases in Africa is driven by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and an expanding outbreak in Uganda.
As of 20 September 2024, Clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV) has been detected in six provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: South Kivu, North Kivu, Kinshasa, Kasai, Tshopo and Tanganyika.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the number of new mpox cases continues to rise in South Kivu province, where clade Ib is spreading and making it the most affected province in the country. The spread is driven by close interpersonal human-to-human contact, including sexual contact and direct close contact in households and communities. The increase in cases is uneven within the province, with a few hotspots driving transmission. While the initial phase of the clade Ib epidemic in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo was mostly affecting adults, as clusters expand in the community, the epidemic is affecting both adults and children, reflecting wider community transmission through close contact.
