[By Pewu Y. Sumo]
Paynesville, Montserrado – A severe warning has been issued by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) as Mpox transmission reaches critical levels in all 15 counties.
During a joint news conference today in Paynesville, the MOH/NPHIL stated that the Mpox update was meant to “enable the public to better understand and support the efforts of the government in ending the outbreak”.
Speaking at the briefing, Dr. Cathrine Cooper, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Liberia, stated that as of November 3, 2025, there were 2,447 probable cases of Mpox in Liberia, with transmission occurring in all 15 counties and impacting 65 out of 98 health districts. 1,308 of the 2,309 samples that were analyzed had laboratory confirmation, yielding a cumulative positive rate of 56.6%, which highlights the substantial ongoing community transmission.
Dr. Cooper emphasized that in order to stop the virus from spreading, the Ministry of Health and NPHIL in cooperation with domestic and foreign partners, continue to carry out improved surveillance, laboratory testing, and case management interventions.
She also revealed that 148 active cases of Mpox are being monitored and treated clinically in designated infectious disease hospitals, isolation facilities, and home-based care settings; 57% of these cases are in Montserrado County, specifically in the districts of Bushrod, Commonwealth, Central Monrovia, and Somalia Drive.
While there have been sharp increase in suspected cases, to date, Liberia has reported six (6) Mpox deaths, resulting in a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 0.5%, the lowest so far across Africa.
“The relatively low Case Fatality Rate (CFR) reflects the effectiveness of the country’s response, including strengthened surveillance, improved case management, and ongoing community awareness efforts,” Dr. Cooper stated.
With 1,154 patients totally recovered after treatment and clinical follow-up, Liberia’s CMO hailed recovery efforts as “encouraging.” She went on to say that the nationwide Mpox vaccination campaign will start raising public awareness and sensitization later this month, with actual vaccination campaigns starting the first week of December 2025 and running through February 2026.
Dr. Cooper said the vaccination campaign will mainly target Liberians who are at least eighteen years old. She also disclosed that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Africa CDC, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), UNICEF, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) recently donated an additional 42,720 doses of Mpox vaccines to Liberia.
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