Africa has recorded more than 61,000 mpox cases and nearly 300 deaths across 32 countries since early 2024, as efforts intensify to find effective treatment options for the disease.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed that a total of 61,383 confirmed cases and 296 deaths had been reported on the continent. The information was contained in a statement released on Saturday in Abuja and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria.
The update followed the announcement of a new collaboration between Emergent BioSolutions and the Pandemic Preparedness Platform for Health and Emerging Infections Response, also known as PANTHER. The partnership is expected to provide additional financial support for the Africa CDC-led Mpox Study in Africa.
The MOSA initiative, which began in 2024, is a double-blind, platform-adaptive clinical trial aimed at assessing possible treatment options for patients diagnosed with mpox in several African countries.
The Director General of Africa CDC, Dr Jean Kaseya, described the study as a major step toward improving the continent’s response to infectious disease outbreaks.
“This study represents a critical step in generating evidence to inform mpox treatment and strengthen Africa’s capacity to respond to emerging health threats,” Kaseya said.
He added that the agency would continue to work with partners to boost research, preparedness and rapid response to disease outbreaks across Africa.
According to Africa CDC, an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board completed its first safety review of the MOSA trial in December 2025 after the first 50 patients were enrolled and randomly selected. The board recommended that the trial should continue, noting that no safety concerns were identified.
Reacting to the development, the Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and Development at Emergent BioSolutions, Dr Simon Lowry, said the company was pleased to support the study.
“We applaud Africa CDC, the Democratic Republic of the Congo investigators and PANTHER for their efforts in reaching this important milestone and remain committed to collaborating with research partners to address global health threats,” Lowry said.
The study, which initially received funding from the European Union and Africa CDC, has largely focused on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the countries worst affected by mpox outbreaks.
Africa CDC and PANTHER said plans were underway to expand the trial to more countries, including Uganda, as patient enrolment continues.
The agency noted that Africa is currently affected by both major mpox clades. These include Clade I, which is common in Central Africa and linked to more severe illness, and Clade II, which is more widespread in West Africa.
It added that recent outbreaks have also involved subclades such as Clade Ia, Ib, IIa and IIb.
Health experts said the MOSA trial is particularly important because there is currently no specific antiviral treatment approved for mpox.
According to them, the study highlights the growing role of Africa-led clinical research in improving treatment options and strengthening pandemic preparedness on the continent.
