The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) confirmed Namibia’s first case of Mpox on 18 October 2025, reported in Swakopmund, Erongo Region. The patient is currently isolated and receiving full treatment at Swakopmund District Hospital, and is in stable condition. Preliminary investigations link this Mpox transmission to recent cross-border travel within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Following World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the detection of a single confirmed Mpox case is classified as an outbreak. Efforts to identify additional cases and monitor close contacts are ongoing under regional health authorities.
Initial reports of a suspected Mpox virus in Erongo surfaced on 2 October 2025 but were previously dismissed as misinformation. The virus’s virulence is now clear, prompting authorities to implement precautionary measures and activate Namibia’s national epidemiology strategy to contain and prevent the virus’s spread to other regions.
The Mpox virus thrives in unhygienic, moist environments and overcrowded conditions. To mitigate infection risks, the public is urged to maintain personal cleanliness and keep living areas hygienic, while avoiding overcrowded and unsanitary spaces. Mpox is a zoonotic virus, historically prevalent in Western Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Though Namibia and much of Southern Africa had not encountered Mpox outbreaks before, the virus can spread from animals to humans and also through human-to-human contact.
Namibia is strengthening its epidemiological surveillance system to promptly detect, test, and monitor suspected Mpox cases. The MoHSS assures the public that the country is well-prepared for managing public health emergencies, including Mpox, with isolation facilities equipped or repurposed nationwide to manage infectious patients requiring hospitalization.
Mpox is caused by an orthopoxvirus causing a smallpox-like illness in humans. The current global outbreak primarily involves human-to-human transmission. The virus was first discovered in monkeys in 1958 and later in humans in 1970 in the DRC. Active outbreaks are ongoing in about 17 African countries, including SADC neighbors such as DRC, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania.
Signs and Symptoms of Mpox
– Fever
– Severe headache
– Swollen lymph nodes
– Muscle aches
– A rash that develops days after initial symptoms and evolves into blisters and crusts
The incubation period ranges from 6 to 13 days, but can vary between 5 and 21 days. Immediate establishment of health checkpoints at entry points in affected areas is crucial for early detection and control of suspected cases.
The MoHSS continues to monitor the situation closely and urges the public to adhere to hygiene practices to curb the spread of Mpox.
