What do I need to know before I travel?
Public Health Scotland logo

Fit for Travel Logo

Information on how to stay safe and healthy abroad. About us.

Mpox in African countries (Update 3)

31 Oct 2024

The World Health Organization reports continuing transmission of mpox in Africa. Countries reporting laboratory-confirmed cases from 1 January 2024 to the latest update of 27 October 2024 are:

Democratic Republic of the Congo: 8 607 cases (25 deaths)

Burundi: 1 509 cases

Uganda: 220 cases (1 death)

Nigeria: 108 cases

Côte d’Ivoire: 89 cases (2 deaths)

Central African Republic: 64 cases (2 deaths)

South Africa: 25 cases (3 deaths)

Congo: 22 cases

Liberia: 20 cases

Kenya: 14 cases (1 death)

Cameroon: 6 cases (2 deaths)

Rwanda: 6 cases

Morocco: 3 cases

Gabon: 2 cases

Ghana: 2 cases

Zimbabwe: 2 cases

Guinea: 1 case

Zambia: 1 case

 

Advice to Travellers

Mpox (Monkeypox) is a rare viral infection that causes a high temperature (fever) and a body rash lasting a few weeks.

If you are travelling to countries where mpox is present you should:

  • practise careful hand hygiene, especially if you are visiting or caring for ill friends and relatives

  • avoid contact with monkeys and rodents (for example rats, mice, squirrels), including their blood and other parts, and avoid eating undercooked meat from any animals
  • wear protective clothing, including gloves, if you are involved in the slaughter of, or care and/or treatment of animals in these regions

If you are travelling to any destination and will be sexually active during travel (including GBMSM) you should:

  • be aware of the risk of mpox
  • talk to sexual partners about their sexual health, ask if they have symptoms and always practise safe sex 
  • avoid close physical contact, including sexual contact, with someone who is unwell and may have mpox
  • always share contact details with new sexual partners to help limit further spread of infection if you become infected
  • maintain good personal hygiene and wash hands often, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
  • know the symptoms of mpox and check yourself regularly; be aware it can take up to 3 weeks for symptoms to appear after contact with an infected person
  • seek health advice and isolate yourself from others whilst waiting to get tested if you have symptoms of mpox

Vaccine

The vaccination against mpox is only available through the NHS to those at high risk of exposure, and is not currently available to purchase privately or at a pharmacy. For more information about the mpox vaccine, including information on high-risk groups and eligibility, see:

For further information on the disease and how you can protect yourself, see the Mpox, Sexual Health Risks and LGBT travellers pages.

After Travel

Seek medical advice during, and for 21 days after travelling if you develop symptoms of mpox and:

  • you have have returned from from a country where mpox is present.  Also make sure you are checked for malaria if returning from these countries as the symptoms may appear similar, or
  • had close contact with someone who may have mpox

Advice if returning to the UK from a country where Clade I mpox exists (currently Central and East African countries)

  • If you develop symptoms of mpox within 21 days of return from an affected country, you should isolate at home and call NHS 24 (Scotland) or NHS 111 (rest of UK) for advice, reporting details of your travel.

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) classifies Clade I mpox (currently reported in Central and East African countries) as a high consequence infectious disease (HCID). *For health professionals: operational case definitions are published here.

Advice to travellers will be updated as appropriate.