2022–2023 mpox outbreak

This article is about the 2022–2023 global outbreak. For the subsequent epidemic, see 2023–2025 mpox epidemic. For other uses, see Mpox outbreak.
2022–23 mpox outbreak
Spread of disease as of 14 October 2022
  Endemic clade I
(formerly Congo Basin or Central African clade)[1]
  Endemic clade II
(formerly West African clade)[1]
  Both clades recorded
  Clade II[1] outbreak in 2022
  Suspected cases
DiseaseMpox
Virus strainMonkeypox virus (MPV), clade II,[1] 2017–2019 outbreak subclade[2]
SourceTravel from Nigeria (presumed/hypothesis)[3][4]
Location121 countries and territories
(119 with confirmed cases,
2 with suspected cases only)
First outbreakLondon, United Kingdom
(first outside of historically-endemic African countries)
DateFirst international outbreak: 6 May 2022 Public health emergency of international concern: 23 July 2022 – 11 May 2023 (9 months, 2 weeks and 4 days)
Confirmed cases99,518 (since January 2022)[5] (6 August 2024)
Deaths
207 (since January 2022)[6] (6 August 2024)

In May 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) made an emergency announcement of the existence of a multi-country outbreak of mpox, a viral disease then commonly known as "monkeypox".[7] The initial cluster of cases was found in the United Kingdom,[8] where the first case was detected in London on 6 May 2022[9] in a patient with a recent travel history from Nigeria where the disease has been endemic.[10] On 16 May, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed four new cases with no link to travel to a country where mpox is endemic.[9] Subsequently, cases have been reported from many countries and regions.[11] The outbreak marked the first time mpox had spread widely outside Central and West Africa. The disease had been circulating and evolving in human hosts over several years before the outbreak and was caused by the clade IIb variant of the virus.[12]

On 23 July 2022, the Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), stating that "we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little".[13] A global response to the outbreak included public awareness campaigns in order to reduce spread of the disease, and repurposing of smallpox vaccines.[14][15]

In May 2023, the World Health Organization declared an end to the PHEIC, citing steady progress in controlling the spread of the disease.[16] Relatively low levels of cases continued to occur, and as of 30 June 2025, there have been a total of 150,889 confirmed cases and 377 deaths in 137 countries.[17][18][19]

Mpox is a viral infection that manifests a week or two after exposure with fever and other non-specific symptoms, and then produces a rash with lesions that usually last for 2–4 weeks before drying up, crusting and falling off.[10] While mpox can cause large numbers of lesions, in this outbreak some patients experience only a single lesion in the mouth or on the genitals, making it more difficult to differentiate from other infections.[20] In previous outbreaks, 1–3 per cent of people with known infections had died (without treatment). In the 2022–2023 outbreak the rate of death was less than 0.2 percent. Cases in children and immunocompromised people are more likely to be severe.[21]

Mpox spreads through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact. The disease can spread through direct contact with rashes, or body fluids from an infected person, by touching objects and fabrics that have been used by someone with mpox or through respiratory secretions.[22] Given the unexpected and vast geographical spread of the disease, the actual number of cases is likely to be underestimated.[23] While anyone can get mpox, the majority of confirmed cases outside of the endemic regions in Africa occurred in young or middle-aged men who have sex with men (MSM) who had recent sexual contact with new or multiple partners.[24][25] On 28 July 2022, the WHO Director-General advised MSM to limit exposure by reducing the number of sexual partners, reconsidering sex with new partners, and maintaining contact details to allow for epidemiological follow-up.[26] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has emphasized the importance of reducing stigma in communicating about the demographic aspects of mpox, specifically with regards to gay and bisexual men.[27]

A new outbreak of a different variant of mpox began in 2023 and was declared a PHEIC in August 2024.

  1. ^ a b c d "Monkeypox: experts give virus variants new names". World Health Organization. 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  2. ^ Rambaut, Andrew (21 May 2022). "Discussion of on-going MPXV genome sequencing". Virological.org. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Monkeypox spreads in West, baffling African scientists". ABC News. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  4. ^ Mandavilli, Apoorva (18 May 2022). "A Massachusetts Man Is Infected With Monkeypox". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  5. ^ "2022 monkeypox outbreak global map". cdc.gov. 13 April 2023. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023. (Updated every two weeks since 1 February 2023) (Updated once per month since September 2023) (no longer updated, archived on 6 September 2024 - added 26 February 2025)
  6. ^ "2022 monkeypox outbreak global map". cdc.gov. 13 April 2023. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023. (Updated every two weeks since 1 February 2023) (Updated once per month since September 2023) (no longer updated, archived on 6 September 2024 - added 26 February 2025)
  7. ^ "Multi-country monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries". World Health Organization. 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  8. ^ "So, Have You Heard About Monkeypox?". The Atlantic. 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates". GOV.UK. 6 September 2022. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Monkeypox – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". World Health Organization. 16 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  11. ^ "2022 Mpox Outbreak Global Map | Mpox | Poxvirus | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 12 September 2023. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  12. ^ Sample, Ian (2 November 2023). "Mpox circulated for five years before global explosion in 2022, research finds". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  13. ^ "WHO Director-General declares the ongoing monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern". World Health Organization (WHO). 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Monkeypox – Campaign details". Department of Health and Social Care – Campaign Resource Centre. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Protecting you from mpox (monkeypox): information on the smallpox vaccination". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  16. ^ Kimball, Spencer (11 May 2023). "WHO says mpox outbreak, the largest in history, no longer global health emergency". CNBC. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Monkeypox Data Explorer". OurWorldInData. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  18. ^ Kozlov, Max (25 July 2022). "Monkeypox declared a global emergency: will it help contain the outbreak?". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-022-02054-7. PMID 35879614. S2CID 251067503. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  19. ^ "2022-23 Mpox (Monkeypox) Outbreak: Global Trends". worldhealthorg.shinyapps.io. World Health Organization. 23 February 2024. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  20. ^ Soucheray, Stephanie (22 July 2022). "Largest monkeypox study to date highlights new symptoms". CIDRAP. University of MInnesota. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  21. ^ "Second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox" (Statement). World Health Organization. 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  22. ^ CDC (29 July 2022). "Monkeypox in the U.S." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Multi-country monkeypox outbreak: situation update". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Multi-country monkeypox outbreak: situation update". World Health Organization. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  25. ^ "Monkeypox, COVID-19 & Other Global Health Issues Virtual Press conference transcript - 27 July 2022" (Press briefing transcript). World Health Organization. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  26. ^ "WHO chief advises men who have sex with men to reduce partners to limit exposure to monkeypox". CNN. 28 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  27. ^ "Reducing Stigma in Monkeypox Communication and Community Engagement". CDC. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
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