Mpox (Monkeypox) Tracker: Live cases & deaths worldwide

Mpox has two main clades. Clade I (subclades Ia and Ib) comes from Central and East Africa and has historically caused more severe illness and more deaths. Clade II (IIa and IIb) is milder; clade IIb caused the global outbreak that began in 2022. Clade Ib was identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2023, spreads between people, including through sexual contact, and has now been reported by 41 countries.

Clade I has historically had higher death rates than clade II, especially in young children and where access to healthcare is limited. Outside Africa most clade Ib cases have been mild, but anyone with severe symptoms, a weakened immune system or a pregnancy should seek care early.

Contact a doctor or sexual health clinic and say you are worried about mpox; a swab of a lesion confirms it. Until you get advice, avoid close and sexual contact, cover lesions, do not share bedding, towels or utensils, and wash your hands often.

Early signs are often fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes, followed within a few days by a rash. In recent outbreaks the rash sometimes appears first or alone, often in the genital or anal area or the mouth. Symptoms usually begin 3 to 17 days after exposure (up to 21) and last 2 to 4 weeks.

Lesions go through stages: flat spots (macules), raised bumps (papules), blisters filled with clear fluid (vesicles), then pus-filled bumps (pustules) that crust into scabs and fall off. Early lesions can look like pimples or blisters. A person remains infectious until every scab has fallen off and new skin has formed.

Mpox can be fatal, but most people recover. Among 193,292 confirmed cases reported to WHO since 2022 there have been 538 deaths, a case fatality rate of about 0.28%. Babies, young children, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems, including untreated HIV, are at higher risk of severe disease.

Mpox spreads through close contact with an infected person: skin-to-skin and mouth-to-skin contact, including sex, contact with lesions, scabs or body fluids, respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact, and contaminated bedding, towels or clothing. It can also pass from a pregnant person to the baby and from infected animals to people.

People are most infectious while they have symptoms, especially the rash. Some people may spread the virus in the days before symptoms start, so anyone exposed should watch for symptoms for 21 days.

Yes. Children can catch mpox through close contact with an infected person at home. Young children are more likely to become seriously ill, which is why many clade I outbreaks in Africa have hit children hardest. Seek medical advice quickly if a child develops a rash after contact with someone who has mpox.

Yes. The MVA-BN vaccine, sold as JYNNEOS in the US and Imvanex or Imvamune elsewhere, protects against mpox and is given as two doses four weeks apart. LC16m8 is also used in some countries. Vaccination after an exposure, ideally within 4 days, can prevent or soften illness.

Health authorities recommend vaccination for people at higher risk, including people with recent or expected exposure, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men with multiple partners, sex workers and some health and laboratory workers. Ask your doctor or local health department whether you are eligible.

WHO renamed the disease mpox in November 2022 to reduce stigma; the virus is still called monkeypox virus. It was first identified in 1958 in laboratory monkeys, which gave it the name, and the first human case was found in 1970 in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rodents and other small mammals are thought to carry it in nature.

Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), an orthopoxvirus in the same family as the smallpox and cowpox viruses. It is not related to chickenpox.

Monitor yourself for fever, swollen glands and rash for 21 days after the contact. Ask a doctor or health department about post-exposure vaccination, which works best within 4 days and can be given up to 14 days after exposure. If symptoms appear, avoid close contact with others and get tested.

Mpox usually lasts 2 to 4 weeks and most people recover with supportive care: pain relief, skin and wound care, and keeping lesions clean. There is no proven cure. Antivirals such as tecovirimat are used for some severe cases, but clinical trials found it did not speed up healing.

Reinfection is uncommon but has been reported, and infections after vaccination can happen, usually in a milder form. Having had mpox or the vaccine does not mean you cannot catch it again, so the same precautions apply.