Guinea-Bissau mpox outbreak spreads, with many child cases
Guinea-Bissau has reported 46 suspected mpox cases and seven confirmed cases since it declared an outbreak in July, with more than half of patients now children. Health authorities say the vast majority of confirmed infections are in the Bissau autonomous sector, where the capital is located, with one case also recorded in the nearby Biombo area. No deaths have been reported so far.
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The outbreak was declared on 4 July, a little more than a week after the country confirmed its first mpox case in a 27-year-old woman. Since then, cases have appeared intermittently over several weeks, according to a former health minister who led the country's Covid-19 response. She said the pattern suggests transmission is continuing, even though the overall numbers remain relatively small.
UNICEF has warned that fragile surveillance systems in Guinea-Bissau may mean the virus is spreading undetected. The agency said this could leave more children at risk, and local authorities have said 16 of the reported patients are under the age of four. UNICEF's deputy representative in the country said that because this is the first time mpox has been reported there, even a small outbreak is a major public health event.
Mpox is a viral disease that spreads through close contact, and health workers say the variants identified in Guinea-Bissau are consistent with viruses circulating in neighbouring countries. That raises concern about cross-border transmission in a region where the disease has already caused thousands of deaths across east, central and west Africa since January 2024. The situation in Guinea-Bissau is therefore being watched not only as a domestic outbreak, but also as part of a wider regional health risk.
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The response is taking place against a difficult backdrop for the country's health system. Officials and health experts have pointed to long-standing infrastructure problems, and the former health minister said surveillance and frontline capacity need to be strengthened to close the biggest gaps. The outbreak is also unfolding while the military remains in power after suspending last November's presidential election, adding to the strain on state institutions.
What remains unclear is how many infections may still be going undetected, and whether the outbreak will remain concentrated around the capital or spread further. The next key test will be whether surveillance improves enough to identify new chains of transmission quickly. Health officials and aid agencies are likely to continue monitoring the situation closely as more data becomes available.
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