Harnessing traditional healers’ role in strengthening Africa’s public health response: A case study of Mpox outbreak

Abstract

Mpox, a zoonotic viral disease endemic in Central and West Africa, has posed major public health challenges, particularly following the 2022 outbreak. The World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency of international concern in July 2022. In Africa, the ongoing outbreak has exacerbated existing healthcare system weaknesses, further strained by civil conflict, poverty, and recurring diseases like Marburg, Lassa fever, and Ebola. Between January 1, 2022, and September 28, 2025, a total of 54,906 Mpox cases and 239 deaths were recorded from 30 WHO member states in Africa. Traditional healers, often the first contact for approximately 58% of the African population for treatment and management of illness, play a crucial role in the treatment of febrile illnesses like malaria, measles, and Mpox. Without effective engagement and regulation of informal health providers, their activities can contribute to delayed access to biomedical care, spread of misinformation, and non-adherence to infection prevention and control measures. By following medical pluralism/healthcare seeking behaviour framework to guide our argument, this viewpoint investigated the role of traditional healers in Mpox outbreaks and proposes strategies for effective collaboration in future outbreaks. Despite challenges like delayed case detection and misinformation, integrating traditional healers into public health responses offers opportunities to strengthen outbreak management. Strategies include training traditional healers in early symptom identification and referral protocols, engaging them in public health campaigns, and establishing clear referral systems to formal healthcare facilities. Providing infection prevention and control tools and training can minimize transmission risks. By fostering collaboration between traditional and formal healthcare systems, stakeholders can enhance disease prevention and control efforts, ultimately contributing to more resilient healthcare systems in Africa. This approach acknowledges the cultural significance of traditional healers and promotes a unified and culturally sensitive strategy to tackle the ongoing Mpox outbreak and other future public health outbreaks.