Monkeypox in the United States and Around the World: Current Situation

What to know

  • There are two types of the virus that causes monkeypox, clade I and clade II. Both types spread and prevented the same ways.
  • There have been more than 46,000 cases of clade I monkeypox in several countries in Central and Eastern Africa.
  • There have also been several travel-associated clade I monkeypox cases reported in countries around the globe.
  • Clade II monkeypox cases continue to spread at low levels in many countries around the world.
  • Several recent clade II cases in the United States have been tied to travel from areas in West Africa that experienced outbreaks of clade II monkeypox.
  • CDC works with public health partners across the world to monitor for monkeypox cases and increase surveillance capacity, in addition to other activities.
A colorized transmission electron microscopic image of monkeypox virus particles, found within an infected cell

Current situation

In the United States

  • Health authorities in Southern California have reported three cases of clade I monkeypox in people with no recent travel. All three individuals have recovered from the illness. Viral genomic (DNA fingerprint) data indicate that these three cases may be linked to a different US case reported in August 2025. For more information see Community Spread of Clade I Mpox Within California.
  • There have been six other reported cases of clade I monkeypox in the United States in people who had recently traveled to affected areas associated with the outbreak in Central and Eastern Africa.
  • Children have historically gotten monkeypox in endemic areas in Western and Central Africa, and in this outbreak the high number of children with monkeypox reported in likely reflects spread within households.
    • Based on what we know right now, we don't expect to see the same sort of risk in children if monkeypox were introduced in the United States for reasons including different household makeup and size, access to disinfecting products, and improved access to medical care.
  • CDC regularly assesses the risk to the overall population and specific populations within the United States posed by the clade I monkeypox outbreak; it remains low.
  • Clade II monkeypox is still circulating at low levels.
    • CDC noted a recent uptick of U.S. cases of clade II across several different states linked to an outbreak of clade II monkeypox in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and other West African countries. CDC is collaborating with U.S. laboratories and contacts in affected countries to better understand the situation.
Clade I Monkeypox Outbreak Originating in Central Africa
Outbreaks of clade I monkeypox are occurring in Central and Eastern Africa
Clade II Monkeypox Outbreaks around the World
Information on the ongoing outbreak of clade II monkeypox

Across the globe

  • There are outbreaks of clade I monkeypox in Central and Eastern Africa.
    • Clade I has two subclades, clade Ia and clade Ib.
    • In Central Africa, people have gotten clade Ia monkeypox through contact with infected dead or live wild animals, household transmission, or patient care.
    • Subclade Ib is a more recently discovered strain identified in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of the Congo. It's spread through intimate and adult sexual contact, including heterosexual spread with sex trade workers. Further spread outside of eastern DRC has occurred.
    • Based on what we know now, clade Ib monkeypox has a lower case-fatality rate than clade Ia monkeypox.
  • Sustained and local person-to-person spread of clade I monkeypox has taken place in some non-endemic countries through sexual contact, day-to-day household contact, and within the healthcare setting in the absence of personal protective equipment.
  • Travel-associated cases of clade I monkeypox have occurred in several countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America, as well as in Australia.
  • The ongoing global outbreak of clade IIb monkeypox has caused more than 100,000 cases in 122 total countries, including 115 countries where monkeypox was not previously reported.
  • Sierra Leone, Liberia, and other countries in West Africa are experiencing an outbreak of clade II monkeypox.

Global monkeypox case data

For global case data for clade I and clade II monkeypox since January 1, 2024, see 2022-24 Mpox (Monkeypox) Outbreak: Global Trends (shinyapps.io). Confirmed cases include those that are laboratory confirmed as monkeypox virus and may include cases only confirmed as orthopoxvirus. These data are provided for situational awareness and are subject to change.

What CDC is doing

In Africa

  • CDC continues critical work to protect the United States from emerging and infectious diseases. CDC has collaborated closely with key partners in affected countries to help support efforts to stop monkeypox at the source.
  • CDC and in-country partners across Africa have worked together on disease surveillance, laboratory capacity-building, strengthening local workforce capacity, case investigation, strengthening case management, infection prevention and control, and vaccine strategy and planning.
  • CDC collaborated with governmental and civil society partners in affected countries to collect and analyze case data, and to identify how monkeypox is spreading.
  • CDC trained 80 field epidemiologists in DRC and continues to provide key support for many who are still working in priority health zones. These CDC-trained epidemiologists are playing a key role in DRC efforts to detect cases, trace and monitor contacts, and increase community awareness of monkeypox, while also collecting and sending specimens to labs for testing, and training healthcare workers to do the same.
  • CDC is coordinating technical assistance in response to urgent needs identified by national governments and local partners in the areas of laboratory, surveillance, risk communication and community engagement, case management, infection prevention and control, psychosocial support, and vaccine planning.
  • The U.S. government is also working closely with several other countries in the region to assist with monitoring the situation as new information becomes available.
  • CDC's staff stationed in several countries affected by or on the border with countries with monkeypox cases provide critical information to inform U.S. preparedness efforts. Staff are connected to CDC's response efforts and can provide critical, real-time information to inform CDC's understanding of the outbreak, mitigate importation of cases into the U.S., and inform U.S. preparedness efforts.
  • Response efforts include increasing the number of monkeypox testing sites; improving specimen transport networks to quickly identify new cases; assisting with Ministry of Health-led vaccine implementation; strengthening emergency management systems; improving case surveillance; and training healthcare workers on infection prevention and control.

In the United States

  • CDC works closely with state, tribal, local, and territorial public health departments to provide recommendations for clinical management, diagnosis, and prevention of monkeypox cases in the U.S.
  • CDC continually increases capacity in communities across the United States for early detection of monkeypox through existing surveillance systems, including wastewater testing.
  • CDC raises awareness for healthcare providers, including the latest guidance for considering monkeypox as a possible diagnosis in certain patients.
  • CDC has information and recommendations for members of the public, including those traveling to Central or Eastern Africa: Travel Health Notice and Health Alert Network advisory.
  • CDC works with researchers and partner organizations to increase health equity around monkeypox and ensure that the populations most affected by monkeypox have access to the monkeypox vaccine.
  • CDC conducts assessments to determine the risks of monkeypox to the people in the United States.

Resources

Publications

Print
Content Source:
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)