New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) A total of 2,501 new confirmed cases, including 12 deaths due to mpox, were reported from 44 countries in October, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.

The latest situation report for the multi-country outbreak of mpox showed that all clades of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) continue to circulate.

When mpox outbreaks are not rapidly contained, and human-to-human transmission is not interrupted, there is a risk of sustained community transmission.

“In October 2025, 44 countries, across all WHO regions, reported a total of 2,501 new confirmed mpox cases, including 12 deaths (case fatality ratio [CFR] 0.5 per cent),” the WHO report said.

Twenty-one countries in Africa reported active transmission of mpox in the last six weeks (from October 12 to November 23), with 1,734 confirmed cases, including 10 deaths.

Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda reported the highest number of cases, with Mali reporting mpox for the first time.

New imported cases of mpox due to clade Ib MPXV were reported among travellers in Belgium, Germany, Greece, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

A total of 43 new confirmed cases of mpox due to clade Ib MPXV have been reported across six WHO regions, between September 5 and November 24, outside areas where sustained community transmission of this virus strain has been occurring.

In four of these regions (the Americas, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Western Pacific), 24 cases reported no recent international travel, suggesting local transmission.

Based on this, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the US are now considered to be experiencing community transmission of clade Ib MPXV.

In addition, travel-related cases continue to be reported in many countries. Among the 43 cases, half (22) were documented among men who have sex with men, while other cases were linked to travel to countries with known community transmission of clade Ib MPXV, or secondary to travel-related cases (household contacts and/or sexual partners).

However, the “WHO assesses the public health risk posed by clade Ib MPXV as moderate for men who have sex with men with new and/or multiple partners, and the risk to the general population as low,” the global health agency said.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is a viral infectious disease that spreads through close contact. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches, skin rash, and back pain. It spreads primarily through skin-to-skin contact.

–IANS

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