Mpox
Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is a viral illness that causes a distinctive rash; it can spread from animals to people and from person to person through close contact.
Snapshot: 9/21/2026, 3:30:49 PM · 145 tracked locations · 34,646 active cases (dataset)
At a glance
Quick facts
- How it spreads
- Close skin-to-skin contact, contaminated materials, and zoonotic spillover; respiratory transmission may occur in prolonged close settings per evolving guidance.
- How serious
- About 0.8 of every 100 confirmed cases died
- Where it's active
- Highest current burden: Democratic Republic of the Congo (CD) and Madagascar (MG).
- Vaccine / treatment
- Vaccination where indicated, harm-reduction messaging for sexual health networks, and healthcare IPC for suspect cases.
Important
Virus Tracker provides aggregated outbreak monitoring for education and situational awareness. It is not medical advice, a diagnostic service, or a substitute for guidance from qualified health professionals or official public health agencies. Always consult licensed clinicians and authoritative sources for personal health decisions.
Overview
Clade-specific severity and transmission patterns have shifted historically. Surveillance combines clinical recognition, PCR testing, and contact tracing. Virus Tracker aggregates regional burden snapshots for comparative awareness alongside official case dashboards.
Transmission
Close skin-to-skin contact, contaminated materials, and zoonotic spillover; respiratory transmission may occur in prolonged close settings per evolving guidance.
Symptoms & clinical notes
Rash with distinctive progression, lymphadenopathy, fever, and malaise. Immunocompromised patients may experience worse outcomes.
Prevention & control
Vaccination where indicated, harm-reduction messaging for sexual health networks, and healthcare IPC for suspect cases.
Surveillance context
Anonymous testing uptake and stigma reduction improve completeness; genomic surveillance tracks importation events.
Live dataset
Key metrics
Active cases
34.6K
Deaths
2.2K
How fast it's spreading
0.4%
StableMpox — global infection heat map
Country shading reflects relative active-case intensity from the current Virus Tracker dataset for this pathogen. Hover countries on desktop for counts.
Darker red = more people currently sick.
Live dataset
Trajectory outlook
Projected case trend with a modeled confidence range.
Projected case trajectory for Mpox, with a shaded confidence range, based on the current Virus Tracker dataset.
Live dataset
Top regions by active cases
The 10 tracked locations with the most active Mpox cases in the current dataset.
Top 10 tracked locations for Mpox by active cases, ranked highest to lowest.
Live dataset
Threat intelligence visuals
Threat matrix
How fast vs. how deadly
Each bubble is a threat. Bigger bubbles mean more people are currently sick.
Where this data comes from
11 of 15 sources are reporting normally.
- 11 healthy sourcesHealthy
- 4 sources downDown
- Data reliability
- 41%
- Confidence-adjusted exposure
- 13.8K
Overall threat level
Where it's hitting hardest
- Democratic Republic of the Congo33.6K active · score 28.3
Dataset
Top affected regions
| Location | Active | Deaths | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Republic of the Congo (CD) | 33,592 | 1,689 | Falling |
| Madagascar (MG) | 382 | 3 | Falling |
| Germany (DE) | 67 | 0 | Rising |
| Australia (AU) | 57 | 0 | Rising |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 47 | 0 | Rising |
| Belgium (BE) | 39 | 2 | Rising |
| Democratic Republic of Congo (CD) | 35 | 80 | Falling |
| China (CN) | 34 | 1 | Rising |
| Guinea (GN) | 34 | 7 | Rising |
| United States (US) | 33 | 63 | Falling |
| South Sudan (SS) | 25 | 2 | Falling |
| Spain (ES) | 25 | 5 | Rising |
Frequently asked questions
How does mpox spread?
Mainly through close, often skin-to-skin contact with an infected person's rash, scabs, or body fluids, and contact with contaminated bedding or clothing. It can also spread from infected animals.
Is there a vaccine for mpox?
Yes, vaccines originally developed for smallpox offer protection and are recommended for people at higher risk of exposure during outbreaks.
How long does mpox illness last?
Symptoms typically resolve within two to four weeks. Most cases are managed with supportive care and isolation to prevent further spread.
Is this page medical advice?
Virus Tracker provides aggregated outbreak monitoring for education and situational awareness. It is not medical advice, a diagnostic service, or a substitute for guidance from qualified health professionals or official public health agencies. Always consult licensed clinicians and authoritative sources for personal health decisions.
What does "outbreak activity" mean on Virus Tracker?
Outbreak activity reflects active-case burden relative to recoveries in our models. It helps compare stressed outbreak zones within the dataset—it is not a clinical score.
How often is this wiki updated?
Figures refresh on the site’s ingestion and revalidation schedule (typically about every 30 minutes in production). Timestamps on the dashboard snapshot indicate the last build of the underlying dataset.
Why might the heat map not match official government totals?
We merge multiple open sources and fallbacks; reporting lag, testing policy, and geographic coverage differ by country. Use national health ministries for authoritative case definitions.
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