By Atoyebi Nike
The Gambia has confirmed its first case of mpox, officially marking an outbreak of the viral disease within the country amid escalating infections across West Africa.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Ministry of Health said the case was identified on Friday through its routine surveillance system. Authorities stressed that while only one infection has been confirmed, its presence in a country where mpox was previously not in circulation qualifies as an outbreak.
“The detection of a single case in a country where mpox is not presently in circulation constitutes an outbreak, requiring immediate response,” the ministry said.
Emergency measures, including active case-finding, contact tracing, and community engagement, have been launched to prevent further spread. Health officials are also conducting genome sequencing to determine the specific virus subtype involved.
Mpox formerly known as monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease caused by a pathogen from the same family as smallpox. It spreads through contact with infected animals or close physical contact with infected individuals. Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, and boil-like skin lesions, and in some cases, the disease can be fatal.
Regional Surge in Cases
The outbreak in The Gambia comes amid a troubling regional surge. According to the World Health Organization (WHO):
Sierra Leone recorded 3,350 cases and 16 deaths between January and late May, Liberia reported 71 active cases as of early June and Guinea has recorded over 200 cases since the disease reemerged in September 2024.
Elsewhere, thousands of infections have been confirmed this year in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Burundi. WHO continues to classify mpox as a global health emergency, citing sustained transmission of both Clade I and Clade II variants.
CDC Monitoring U.S. Cases
Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported five travel-linked Clade I cases in 2025 all involving travelers returning from Central and East Africa. The states affected include California, Georgia, New Hampshire, New York, and Massachusetts. No community transmission has occurred.
Clade I continues to spread in 12 African countries, with the DRC reporting the emergence of two subclades: Ia, mainly affecting children through animal contact, and Ib, spreading among adults through sexual contact.
Despite global concern, the CDC maintains that the risk of mpox to the general American public remains low.
