The African Union's (AU) public health agency declared today that the Mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has ended.

"The DRC, which was the epicenter of Mpox, has declared the end of the outbreak."

"From now on, Mpox will transition from emergency management to routine management."

"This does not mean that the disease has disappeared, but rather that it will continue to be treated like other diseases or outbreaks.".

This was stated by Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), during a virtual press conference. Since the beginning of the outbreak of this disease caused by a strain of smallpox virus in 2014, the DRC has recorded a total of 161.517 suspected cases (37.135 confirmed) and 2.286 suspected deaths (127 confirmed) in its 26 provinces.

"This is a country where all regions have been affected, which makes it an example of persistence, but also an opportunity for us to learn lessons."

"When one outbreak ends, it's necessary to start preparing for the next one.""Kaseya stated."

To address this situation, the DRC had to increase its health budget to 14,5% of the national budget, given that the country also leads the rankings on the African continent in the number of infections and deaths from measles and cholera.

The DRC's Minister of Health, Roger Kamba, praised the "rapid intervention" and vaccine procurement by the Africa CDC, which improved the system's efficiency and reduced costs.

"With this organization, we were able to assess an outbreak that affected the entire country, more than 1.400 health zones, and cost approximately 90 million dollars.", said the minister.

Mpox is an infectious disease that can cause painful skin rashes, swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, and fatigue. Children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk.