ACCRA, GHANA – Liberia on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, joined other African countries in a major continental effort to strengthen Mpox outbreak response and monitoring. The country was represented by Dougbeh Chris Nyan, MD, Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), and Dr. Ralph Jetoh, Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology (DIDE) at NPHIL, during the Africa-CDC Continental Mpox Workshop held in Accra, Ghana.
The workshop brought together scientists and public health experts from across Africa to share country experiences and strategies in responding to Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox. The disease has increasingly become a public health concern across the continent, prompting collaborative initiatives to develop effective, localized interventions.
Liberia’s participation focused on exchanging national experiences in Mpox response, including surveillance strategies, public health interventions, and community engagement efforts. These discussions allowed for a deeper understanding of what has worked in various African contexts and highlighted lessons learned from past outbreak responses.
A key outcome of the workshop was the development of Afrocentric scientific guidelines designed to strengthen outbreak response mechanisms and improve routine monitoring of Mpox. These guidelines take into account Africa’s diverse cultural and epidemiological contexts, ensuring that the strategies are both scientifically sound and locally relevant.
Dr. Nyan emphasized the importance of African-led collaboration in addressing public health threats, noting that sharing data, experiences, and innovations will significantly enhance the continent’s capacity to contain emerging infectious diseases.
The Africa-CDC Continental Mpox Workshop represents a coordinated effort to build stronger, evidence-based public health systems across Africa, ensuring countries are better equipped to prevent and manage future outbreaks.
