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Situation Overview
Madagascar’s Mpox outbreak was officially declared by the Ministry of Public Health on 30 December 2025, following laboratory confirmation. The Ministry has since confirmed the outbreak involves Mpox Clade 1b. As of 29 January 2026, 214 confirmed cases have been reported nationally, with the first confirmed cases identified in Mahajanga I District, Boeny Region. Since detection, surveillance and notification have expanded, with 567 cumulative notified cases recorded nationwide, including 164 suspected cases, 92 recovered cases and no deaths reported to date. The outbreak remains concentrated in Boeny (163 confirmed, 87 suspected). Smaller clusters are reported elsewhere, including Analamanga (25 confirmed, 8 suspected) and Vakinankaratra (9 confirmed, 4 suspected). Additional cases have been reported in Haute Matsiatra (9 confirmed), Melaky (4 confirmed, 1 suspected), Amoron'i Mania (1 confirmed), Atsimo Andrefana (1 confirmed, 1 suspected), Vatovavy (1 confirmed), and Betsiboka (1 confirmed, 5 suspected). At this stage, 26 confirmed cases are involving children, and 145 suspected children’s cases have been reported.
From 9 to 19 January 2026, U-Report Madagascar engaged 42,000 young people through two surveys on Mpox, collecting over 11,400 responses. Results show high-risk perception (77%) but uneven knowledge and partial adoption of prevention measures, with hand hygiene poorly integrated and children rarely recognized as at-risk. While 93% intend to change behaviour and 88% report some adoption, engagement is lowest among 15–24-year-olds, with some regional disparities, and vaccine acceptance is moderate (54%) with one-third undecided. The U-Report polls also gathered youth feedback revealing fear, misinformation, and perceptions of Mpox as severe or deadly, echoing social media and media monitoring showing widespread false information, high anxiety, and strong demand for clear guidance on prevention and responses from authorities. These insights are guiding UNICEF and partners to refocus actions: targeted and region-specific messaging for youth and children and practical guidance, strengthen official and community channels, support for adolescents, correcting misinformation, and monitoring more closely variations in prevention practices and adoption strategies across regions.