Welcome to the seventh issue of our report, “Mpox: Transparency and Accountability for the Global Response.”
In this edition, we provide a comprehensive update on the latest developments and insights across all topic areas, featuring our most recent analyses and findings since the last issue. This report will be updated and shared every other week with our community.
Latest updates at a glance:
- On January 27, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed a new case of Clade Ib mpox, bringing the total number of cases in England since October 2024 to eight.
- Uganda began an mpox vaccination campaign on February 1st, after receiving 10,000 vaccine doses. The armed conflict in Goma has led to disruptions in sample collection, transportation, and confirmation in the region.
- A steep decline in mpox case reporting was observed in both North Kivu and Tshopo which both rely on Goma for testing.
- Emerging outbreaks: Marburg: On January 20th, the government of Tanzania declared an outbreak of Marburg in the Kagera region which borders Rwanda. As of January 28th, 10 cases have been reported (2 confirmed, 10 deaths) along with 29 probable cases. 281 contacts are being monitored. There are no currently approved vaccines or therapeutics for Marburg, though a candidate vaccine and potential anti-viral candidates were used during the recent outbreak in Rwanda.
- Emerging outbreaks: Ebola: On January 30th, the Uganda Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Sudan Ebola virus disease. This is the second outbreak of Sudan Ebola virus disease in the past 2 years. The index case passed away last week, and two contacts have tested positive for the virus. 287 contacts are being monitored. Uganda has launched a trial for a vaccine against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus and will target contacts of the first case for vaccination. There are no currently approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Sudan strain of the virus. Existing vaccines and therapeutics have only been approved for the Zaire strain (cause of 2022 outbreak in the DRC).
As always, we aim to serve as an external, independent source for tracking and catalyzing effective actions to meet and increase commitments, and to hold the key stakeholders to account for achieving emergency preparedness and response goals.