New Delhi, Oct 31 : Mpox has been spreading to more countries, and the deadly virus has claimed 17 lives in Africa in the last six weeks, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday.

The WHO's 59th situation report for the multi-country outbreak of mpox revealed that 17 countries in Africa have experienced ongoing active transmission of mpox in the last six weeks (from September 14 to October 19).

During this period, '2,862 confirmed cases, including 17 deaths,' were reported.

Countries reporting the highest number of cases in this period are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Kenya, and Ghana.

'Since the last edition of this report, Malaysia, Namibia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain have reported detection of clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV) for the first time,' the WHO said.

'New imported cases of mpox due to clade Ib MPXV detected among travellers have been reported in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Qatar and Spain,' the global health body added.

Further, six countries -- Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the US -- reported clade Ib MPXV cases among individuals without travel links, indicating local circulation of the virus.

In addition to countries in Africa, these countries are now also classified as experiencing community transmission of clade Ib MPXV, the WHO said.

At least five cases of mpox due to clade Ib MPXV have also been detected among individuals who self-identify as men who have sex with men.

'These cases provide the first evidence of previously undetected circulation of this virus strain within this at-risk population, in which only clade IIb MPXV had been reported since 2022, and across different regions,' the WHO said.

In September 2025, 42 countries across all WHO regions reported a total of 3,135 confirmed cases, including 12 deaths.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is a viral infectious disease that spreads through close contact. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches, skin rash, and back pain. It spreads primarily through skin-to-skin contact.

/IANS