The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that all known strains of the mpox virus remain in circulation, raising concerns about sustained community transmission if outbreaks are not quickly contained. At the same time, the newly identified clade Ib has now spread beyond Africa.
According to WHO’s September report, 3,135 confirmed mpox cases and 12 deaths were recorded across 42 countries, representing a case fatality rate of 0.4%. More than 80% of cases were reported in the African region.
Over the past six weeks, 17 African countries have seen ongoing transmission, with the highest numbers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Kenya, and Ghana. The report noted rising cases in Kenya and Liberia, while numbers declined in the Congo.
The report also highlighted that mpox cases increased in Europe and South-East Asia during September, while the African, Eastern Mediterranean, Americas, and Western Pacific regions continued to see a decline.
The newly detected clade Ib mpox virus has been reported for the first time in Malaysia, Namibia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, with additional imported cases among travellers in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Qatar, and Spain.
Outside Central and East Africa, local transmission of clade Ib mpox has been confirmed in Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the U.S. At least five recent cases were among men with same-sex partners, marking the first evidence of this strain circulating within that group.
WHO currently assesses the public health risk as moderate for men with same-sex partners and low for the general population outside historically endemic areas.
“When mpox outbreaks are not rapidly contained and human-to-human transmission is not interrupted, there is a risk of sustained community transmission,” the agency warned.
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Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $119 a barrel, as conflict in the Middle East rumbled on. Meanwhile, the Turkish Military said NATO air defence systems destroyed a missile fired from Iran towards the country.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iranian civilian and military officials have pledged their obedience to the new leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying his leadership “will herald a new era of dignity and authority for the Iranian nation.”.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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