Mpox and Travel in 2026: Current Risk Areas and Who Should Consider Vaccination

If your mental picture of mpox is still the 2022 global outbreak, it's worth updating. The situation in 2026 is genuinely different: clade I mpox — historically the more severe form, endemic to Central and Eastern Africa — has now spread well beyond that region, with confirmed local transmission detected in Europe among people with no travel history to Africa at all. WHO has kept mpox designated as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and the case picture is more geographically scattered than most people assume.

Here's what's actually happening, and — importantly — who this changes things for, because the honest answer is: not everyone, and not in the way 2022-era mpox coverage might suggest.

What mpox is, and the two clades that matter

Mpox is a viral disease in the same family as smallpox, causing a rash that progresses through stages — often starting as flat spots, then raised bumps, then fluid-filled blisters, then scabs — sometimes on the hands, feet, chest, face, mouth, or genital and rectal area, often alongside fever, chills, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.

There are two clades, each with two subclades:

• Clade I (Ia and Ib): endemic to Central and Eastern Africa, historically more severe and more transmissible. This is the clade behind WHO's current emergency declaration and the one that's shown genuine geographic spread in 2025–2026.
• Clade II (IIa and IIb): endemic to West Africa; clade IIb caused the 2022 global outbreak that most people associate with "mpox," and it continues to circulate at lower levels worldwide.

Both clades spread, are treated, and are prevented the same way — the distinction matters mainly for understanding severity and where current outbreak activity sits.

Where things actually stand in 2026

The Democratic Republic of Congo remains the epicentre of the clade I situation, but the geography has genuinely widened. WHO situation reports through 2026 have described dozens of countries reporting confirmed cases across multiple regions in a single month, with a majority still concentrated in the WHO African Region but a meaningful share now appearing in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Madagascar, in particular, has reported a large recent case cluster. Several Western European countries have documented outbreaks now understood to represent local transmission chains rather than direct importation from Africa — a genuinely new development compared with the outbreak's earlier years.

In the US, dozens of clade I cases have been confirmed, virtually all linked to travel to or contact with someone who travelled from an affected region — but health officials have been explicit that further cases, including some without a clear travel link, are expected as the situation in Europe continues to evolve.

Because this picture shifts month to month, check current status before travel:

• CDC Mpox Travel Notices
• WHO Mpox Situation Reports
• ECDC Mpox Worldwide Overview

How it actually spreads — and what that means for your risk

This is the part that gets lost in headline coverage: mpox spreads primarily through close, often prolonged physical contact — skin-to-skin contact, sexual contact, and sharing items like clothing or bedding with someone who's infected. It does not spread through brief casual contact, or by being in the same room or on the same flight as someone infected — a recent CDC-published study specifically found transmission during commercial air travel to be uncommon.

That's why, despite the wider geographic spread, the risk to most travellers on an ordinary trip remains low. The travellers CDC and WHO data show at meaningfully higher risk are specifically those anticipating close or intimate contact with new partners while travelling, particularly men who have sex with men, though CDC guidance is explicit that vaccination recommendations apply based on anticipated exposure and behaviour, not sexual orientation or gender identity.

Who CDC recommends consider vaccination

The JYNNEOS vaccine (two doses, given 4 weeks apart) is recommended specifically for:

• People travelling to a country or territory with sustained clade I mpox transmission — including the DRC and neighbouring Central/East African countries, and increasingly parts of Europe with documented local transmission — who anticipate sexual contact with a new partner during their trip, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation
• People anticipating higher-risk situations specifically, such as sexual contact associated with a large public event, festival, or party in an area with active transmission
• Laboratory workers and others with occupational exposure risk

This is not a blanket recommendation for every traveller to an affected country — it's tied specifically to anticipated close-contact exposure, which is a meaningfully narrower group than "anyone going to the DRC" or "anyone going to Europe."

Symptoms and what to do if you develop them

Watch for a new, unexplained rash or skin bumps — anywhere on the body but especially hands, feet, chest, face, mouth, or genital/rectal area — often alongside flu-like symptoms. If you develop these during or after travel, especially with a relevant travel or contact history, see a healthcare provider and mention your travel history directly, and avoid close contact with others (including sex) until you've been evaluated.

Prevention beyond vaccination

Regardless of vaccination status, the same practical steps reduce risk: avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms or a new/unexplained rash, avoid sharing items like bedding, towels, or clothing with someone who's unwell, and — for anyone anticipating new sexual partners while travelling in an affected area — consider discussing risk-reduction strategies with a provider before you go, not just vaccination.

Getting the right advice

If your travel plans include an area with sustained clade I transmission and you anticipate any of the higher-risk situations above, this is worth a direct conversation with a travel health provider well before departure, since the two-dose JYNNEOS series needs time to complete. Check current destination risk using the Travel Vaccine Map tool, and use Find a Clinic to find a provider who offers the vaccine — availability varies by location, so it's worth confirming ahead of time rather than assuming a walk-in appointment will have it in stock.

Sources: CDC Mpox Situation Summary, CDC Preventing Mpox While Traveling, WHO Multi-country Mpox Situation Reports, ECDC Mpox Worldwide Overview.