As mpox continues to affect communities across 26 African countries, health officials are turning to familiar strategies to manage the caseload. One such approach, home-based care, is being adapted from the COVID-19 response, offering a practical solution where hospital isolation capacity is limited.

While the method helps ease pressure on health facilities, experts emphasise the need for strong oversight and support to ensure it does not inadvertently contribute to further transmission. Professor Yap Boum, Deputy Incident Manager of the multi-agency Mpox Incident Management Support Team (IMST) based in the DRC, outlined how the model works and the challenges it presents.

“Home-based care is a legacy of the COVID-19 response. We realised that in highly affected countries such as Uganda, where the mpox treatment centre in Entebbe was overwhelmed, it was not possible to isolate all patients in hospitals. Therefore, patients who tested positive for mpox would be isolated within their households, with one room identified for their use. A community health worker would then ensure follow-up for 21 days.”