Epidemiological Profile of Mpox in the ECOWAS Region, 2024–2025: Trends, Transmission Dynamics, and Regional Implications
1
ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control, West Africa Health Organization, FCT, Nigeria, Nigeria
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A607
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Mpox transmission persists across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with renewed outbreaks during 2024 – 2025 highlighting ongoing challenges in surveillance sensitivity, reporting timeliness, and outbreak response. Recent evidence indicates a shifting epidemiological pattern of Mpox in Africa, characterised by recurrent outbreaks, evolving transmission dynamics, and the need for more focused, context-specific response strategies.¹,² Understanding regional epidemiological patterns is therefore critical to inform risk assessment and strengthen coordinated public health action.
METHODS:
This descriptive epidemiological study synthesised Mpox surveillance data from national routine systems, laboratory confirmation reports, weekly epibulletins, and situation and response reports across ECOWAS Member States between January 2024 and December 2025. Analyses examined temporal trends, demographic characteristics, geographic clustering, and case fatality rates. Event-based surveillance and epidemic intelligence data were triangulated with indicator-based reports to identify emerging hotspots and transmission corridors.
RESULTS:
Confirmed Mpox cases were reported across multiple ECOWAS Member States, with Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia contributing the highest case counts. Clusters were predominantly located in high-mobility border and peri-urban districts, consistent with patterns reported in recent regional analyses.¹ Adults aged 20 – 40 years accounted for the majority of confirmed cases, while children under 15 years constituted a growing proportion of suspected infections. Overall case fatality remained low but was higher among populations with comorbidities and delayed access to care, in line with recent epidemiological reviews.² Seasonal fluctuations in incidence aligned with periods of intensified internal and cross-border population movement.
CONCLUSIONS:
The regional epidemiological profile of Mpox underscores the need for targeted public health strategies that prioritise high-risk districts, enhance laboratory and surveillance capacities, and strengthen cross-border collaboration. These findings support harmonised indicator frameworks and evidence-based resource allocation across ECOWAS, contributing to strengthened pandemic preparedness and communicable disease control in the region.
Mpox transmission persists across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with renewed outbreaks during 2024 – 2025 highlighting ongoing challenges in surveillance sensitivity, reporting timeliness, and outbreak response. Recent evidence indicates a shifting epidemiological pattern of Mpox in Africa, characterised by recurrent outbreaks, evolving transmission dynamics, and the need for more focused, context-specific response strategies.¹,² Understanding regional epidemiological patterns is therefore critical to inform risk assessment and strengthen coordinated public health action.
METHODS:
This descriptive epidemiological study synthesised Mpox surveillance data from national routine systems, laboratory confirmation reports, weekly epibulletins, and situation and response reports across ECOWAS Member States between January 2024 and December 2025. Analyses examined temporal trends, demographic characteristics, geographic clustering, and case fatality rates. Event-based surveillance and epidemic intelligence data were triangulated with indicator-based reports to identify emerging hotspots and transmission corridors.
RESULTS:
Confirmed Mpox cases were reported across multiple ECOWAS Member States, with Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia contributing the highest case counts. Clusters were predominantly located in high-mobility border and peri-urban districts, consistent with patterns reported in recent regional analyses.¹ Adults aged 20 – 40 years accounted for the majority of confirmed cases, while children under 15 years constituted a growing proportion of suspected infections. Overall case fatality remained low but was higher among populations with comorbidities and delayed access to care, in line with recent epidemiological reviews.² Seasonal fluctuations in incidence aligned with periods of intensified internal and cross-border population movement.
CONCLUSIONS:
The regional epidemiological profile of Mpox underscores the need for targeted public health strategies that prioritise high-risk districts, enhance laboratory and surveillance capacities, and strengthen cross-border collaboration. These findings support harmonised indicator frameworks and evidence-based resource allocation across ECOWAS, contributing to strengthened pandemic preparedness and communicable disease control in the region.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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