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Mpox continues to spread globally. Moscow reported another confirmed case, while Toronto confirmed two additional cases, bringing Canada’s total count to 16 since September 2026. Notably, Hong Kong has seen a significant increase in the number of confirmed mpox cases since August, reporting about 70% of their cases (21 cases) this year between August and now.

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10/15/2026 — Mpox continues to be reported globally in several cities, including Moscow and Toronto. Hong Kong has recently seen a striking rise in cases since August, reporting 70% of their cases between August and early October.

From August through October 10, officials in Hong Kong have confirmed 21 cases of mpox, representing 70% of the total cases recorded this year so far (30 total). The Centre for Health Protection recently noted that genetic sequencing of the virus has identified identical sequences in some of Hong Kong’s cases, implying that they may share a common source of infection. 

On October 7, one laboratory-confirmed case of mpox was confirmed at Domodedovo Central City Hospital in Moscow. The Clade type is not reported; however, the patient is a 27-year-old man who presented to the hospital with symptoms of the viral disease, including skin rashes and a high fever. Two confirmed mpox cases (Clade omitted) in Moscow residents were reported in early February 2026, with sporadic cases occurring since. Although Russia has not yet declared a case of Clade I mpox, it has been reported as a place of travel for Clade I cases detected elsewhere.

Since last week’s Tracking Report, the Toronto Public Health Institute has recorded two additional cases of mpox. As of October 13, this brings the total case count to 16 since September 2026 amid ongoing alerts of increased viral activity in the city. Clade information was not confirmed; however, while most mpox cases in Canada have been caused by Clade IIb, Clade Ib has also been detected in the country. 

Mpox in the United States

According to WastewaterSCAN, mpox Clade II was newly detected in wastewater in the US this week in Riverside, California (October 9). The CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS), which has broader coverage of the US but is not as up-to-date as WastewaterSCAN, detected Clade II mpox in San Francisco County, California, between September 27 and October 3. Clade II mpox has continued to circulate in the US, with 1,700 to 2,800 cases reported annually from 2023 to 2025. So far in 2026, there have been 1,099 mpox cases reported in the US, with no documented deaths. This includes both Clade II and Clade Ib cases, with the majority of cases being Clade II, which generally causes less severe illness and a mortality rate between <1% and 4%.

Recently, the CDC reported that there have been mpox cases with presumed domestic transmission in more than 10 jurisdictions (which are not expressly specified), indicating likely sustained Clade Ib transmission in the US. Specifically, the CDC now reports that more than 80 mpox Clade I cases have been reported in 22 different states. The most recently reported cases included a case in California, six cases associated with travel (including in New York, Arizona, Connecticut, and Missouri), and a San Francisco Clade Ib case reported in April 2026. None of these cases have been epidemiologically linked to the others, but these could be states where transmission may be occurring. Despite a wastewater detection of the deadlier mpox Clade Ib in Cobb County, Georgia, in March, and clinical detections in New York and Missouri in March, California in April, and Connecticut in May, mpox Clade Ib was not detected in wastewater in any of those states or nationally during the time of the clinical detections.