Yes, monkeypox (now officially called mpox) is still circulating worldwide, though at far lower levels than during the 2022 outbreak that made global headlines. Between January 2025 and January 2026, over 54,800 laboratory-confirmed cases and 221 deaths were reported globally. The virus never disappeared, and new strains have complicated the picture.
Where Things Stand Now
The World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern twice: first in 2022 during the global clade IIb outbreak, and again in 2024 when a newer strain, clade Ib, began spreading across parts of Africa. The second emergency declaration was lifted in September 2025 after case counts stabilized, but the virus continues to circulate at low levels in many countries.
In the United States, case counts have dropped dramatically from the 2022 peak. As of early March 2026, the CDC reported roughly two cases per day on a seven-day average. That’s a fraction of the thousands of weekly cases seen in mid-2022, but it means transmission hasn’t stopped. The virus persists through sporadic, often mild or undetected infections passed through sexual contact.
Two Strains Worth Knowing About
The strain behind the 2022 global outbreak, clade IIb, spreads almost exclusively through sexual contact and has a mortality rate below 0.1%. Most deaths have occurred in people with weakened immune systems. This is the strain still circulating at low levels in the U.S. and Europe.
The newer concern is clade Ib, which emerged from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in late 2023. This strain spreads primarily through sexual contact but also through nonsexual household contact, making its transmission pattern broader. In Kenya’s outbreak, about 63% of confirmed cases were sexually transmitted, while roughly 10% came from close household contact. People with HIV appear especially vulnerable: nearly a quarter of confirmed cases in that outbreak involved HIV co-infection, and the one reported death occurred in someone with both HIV and an opportunistic infection.
Since the WHO lifted the emergency declaration in September 2025, 43 new confirmed clade Ib cases have been reported across six global regions outside areas where the strain was already spreading. The geographic reach is limited but expanding slowly, particularly along transportation corridors in East Africa.
How Mpox Spreads
Direct skin-to-skin contact remains the primary route, especially during sex, kissing, or prolonged physical closeness. Face-to-face contact close enough to share respiratory particles (talking, breathing near someone with active lesions) can also transmit the virus, though this is less common. Contaminated clothing, bedding, or surfaces pose a small risk. Transmission through needle injuries in healthcare or community settings like tattoo parlors has been documented but is rare.
You’re contagious from the time symptoms appear until all lesions have scabbed over and new skin has formed underneath. During the incubation period before symptoms show up, you can’t spread the virus.
What Symptoms Look Like
After exposure, the incubation period runs 3 to 17 days, with most people developing symptoms within one to two weeks. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks total.
Lesions sometimes start as sores on the tongue or inside the mouth. On the skin, they progress through a predictable sequence: flat spots that become raised bumps (one to two days each), then fluid-filled blisters (one to two days), then firm, round pustules that develop a dimple in the center. The pustule stage lasts five to seven days before crusting begins. Scabs stick around for another one to two weeks before falling off. Many people also experience fever, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, or exhaustion, sometimes before the rash appears.
During the 2022 outbreak, many cases presented differently than the textbook description. Lesions were sometimes limited to the genital or anal area, and some people had very few spots, making the infection easy to miss or mistake for something else.
Treatment Has Limits
The main antiviral that’s been used against mpox, tecovirimat (sold as TPOXX), turned out to be disappointing in clinical trials. A large international study found that the drug did not reduce the time it took for lesions to heal or relieve pain compared to a placebo, in adults with mild to moderate clade II mpox. Results from a separate trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo among people with clade I mpox were consistent: no clear benefit. The drug was safe but simply didn’t perform as hoped.
For most people, mpox resolves on its own with supportive care: managing pain, keeping lesions clean, and staying hydrated. Severe cases, particularly in immunocompromised individuals, may require hospitalization.
Vaccination Still Works
The JYNNEOS vaccine offers strong protection. A CDC study covering the 2022-2023 outbreak found that one dose reduced the risk of mpox by about 75%, while the full two-dose series brought protection up to 86%. These numbers held regardless of whether someone was immunocompromised.
How long that protection lasts remains an open question, which is one reason health authorities recommend the full two-dose series for anyone at increased risk. The vaccine is available at sexual health clinics, public health departments, and some pharmacies in the U.S. Eligibility generally focuses on men who have sex with men, people with multiple sexual partners, and anyone who’s had known or suspected exposure.
Who’s Most at Risk
The profile hasn’t changed much since 2022. Men who have sex with men and have multiple partners remain the group most affected by the clade IIb strain circulating globally. People living with HIV or other conditions that suppress the immune system face higher risks of severe disease and death. Young children, particularly those with malnutrition or underlying health issues, are also more vulnerable in areas where clade I strains circulate.
If you were following mpox closely in 2022 and assumed it went away, the short answer is that it didn’t. It dropped out of the news cycle, but the virus adapted and persisted. Staying aware of symptoms, getting vaccinated if you’re in a higher-risk group, and knowing that testing is available through most healthcare providers are the practical steps that still matter.