Auleria Wakudumo
The Ministry of Health and Social Services has declared the end of the Mpox and Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) outbreaks that affected parts of the country in late 2025.
Health Minister Dr Esperance Luvindao confirmed in the media release that the Mpox outbreak in the Swakopmund district and the CCHF outbreak in the Omaheke region have both been successfully contained following months of surveillance and response efforts.
According to the minister, the Mpox outbreak was first declared on 19 October 2025 after the first laboratory confirmed case was detected a day earlier. In line with guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDCP), even a single confirmed case requires an immediate public health response.
Namibia recorded a total of three confirmed Mpox cases during the outbreak.
All patients recovered fully and were discharged from isolation on 12 November 2025, with no deaths reported. The last confirmed case was recorded on 21 October 2025.
The ministry explained that an outbreak can be declared over once a specified period passes without any new infections.
“In this case, 90 consecutive days elapsed without additional cases, confirming that transmission had been interrupted. The ministry has therefore formally declared the end of the Mpox outbreak in Swakopmund district in the Erongo region,” the ministry explained.
Meanwhile, the CCHF outbreak in the Omaheke region was declared on 28 November 2025 following laboratory confirmation of a case on 21 November 2025.
Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever is a viral disease commonly transmitted through tick bites or contact with bodily fluids from infected people or livestock. The single confirmed patient unfortunately died from the infection, and a safe and dignified burial was conducted by trained health personnel in line with established safety protocols.
Luvindao further explained that transmission of the disease is considered interrupted after two incubation periods, 28 days pass without any new cases. Following the initial infection, no additional cases were recorded, and all identified contacts completed their monitoring period successfully.
Following the two incubation periods, the ministry has therefore declared the CCHF outbreak in the Omaheke region officially over. The ministry said the successful containment of both outbreaks was made possible through a swift and coordinated public health response involving surveillance, contact tracing, isolation of suspected cases and community awareness.
Although the outbreaks have been declared over, the ministry of health stressed that the country’s disease surveillance systems remain on high alert to ensure early detection and rapid response to any future cases.