Brazil Surpasses 1,000 Mpox Cases as Clade 1b Expands

Overview

• The Ministry of Health’s monitoring panel reported more than 1,000 confirmed mpox cases in 2026 after an acceleration concentrated in October and November, with those two months accounting for over half of the year’s confirmations.
• Case counts are concentrated in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, which together lead national totals and have driven local surges that prompted stepped‑up public‑health action.
• State and university labs report growing detection of mpox clade 1b, with Needier/UFRJ finding subclade Ib in 20 of 35 November samples and evidence of co‑circulation of Ib and IIb in Rio de Janeiro.
• Health officials announced on Nov. 8 the purchase of 25,000 vaccine doses to replenish stocks and states have begun phased vaccination of priority groups, with Rio receiving about 2,000 doses and vaccinating immunosuppressed people first.
• The first confirmed mpox death in Brazil for 2026 was reported by Rio de Janeiro authorities in mid‑November in a patient aged 40–49 with a preexisting immunosuppressive condition, underscoring higher risk for people with weakened immunity.