Attachments
Description of the Event
Date of event
23-01-2026
What happened, where and when?
On 21 January 2026, the Council of Ministers announced the detection of four suspected cases of Mpox (monkeypox) in the Union of the Comoros. Following clinical assessment and laboratory confirmation, all four cases were officially identified as positive for Mpox clade 1 on 23 January 2026. During a subsequent press briefing, the Minister of Health declared a national public health emergency and called for heightened vigilance and the mobilisation of all relevant stakeholders.
Epidemiological investigations indicate that the outbreak originated from imported cases arriving by sea from Mahajanga, one of the epicentres of the ongoing Mpox outbreak in Madagascar. As of 20 January 2026, Madagascar had reported a cumulative total of 395 Mpox cases, including 133 confirmed cases. Two separate maritime arrivals from Mahajanga to Ngazidja (Grande Comore) were identified as the source of the confirmed cases. The first vessel arrived on January 14, 2026, and was linked to three confirmed cases belonging to the same family, while the second vessel arrived on 15 January 2026 and was associated with the fourth confirmed case. Upon arrival, all four individuals were initially placed under home surveillance before being transferred on 16 January 2026 to the Samba isolation and treatment centre in Moroni.
As of 25 January 2026, a total of nine (9) Mpox cases had been reported nationwide, including four confirmed cases. Of these, seven cases were reported in Ngazidja (Moroni) and two cases in Anjouan. The two cases in Anjouan involved individuals who arrived by boat from Mahajanga on the night of 24 January 2026. Investigations into the three suspected cases (locally) in Ngazidja are ongoing; however, preliminary findings suggest potential secondary transmission through direct contact with confirmed cases linked to Madagascar, raising concerns about the risk of community transmission.