The last time we visited Ceuta at Legal Insurrection, thousands of military-age men from Morocco invaded Spain by crossing the border into this bit of Spanish territory.
That was in late July. As we head into the second half of September, conditions certainly have not improved. Now, on top of this de facto invasion, there has been a reported case of monkeypox.
Ceuta has confirmed its first recorded case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, in a 13-year-old unaccompanied Moroccan boy who entered the Spanish enclave during the mass invasion from Morocco at the end of July.
The Instituto de Salud Carlos III confirmed the infection on Thursday, 17 September, after local health authorities sent samples for testing. According to local reporting, the minor is isolated at the Piniers reception centre, under medical supervision and receiving treatment, while health officials are tracing contacts. A second suspected case involving another minor is reportedly being investigated but has not been confirmed at the time of writing.
The appearance of mpox adds to the enclave’s already raging health crisis since July, when around 80,000 illegal migrants invaded Ceuta from Morocco, with around 10,000 still in the city of 84,000 residents.
INGESA, Spain’s public health authority responsible for the enclave, activated Level 1 of the Hospital Universitario de Ceuta’s External Catastrophe Plan on 31 July. During the first month alone, migrant patients generated 10,725 consultations—an average of 335 per day—and more than 100 additional health workers were hired.
🚨BREAKING: A Moroccan illegal migrant housed in one of Ceuta’s migrant camps has been confirmed to carry Monkeypox
This is why you need strong borders, it’s not just humans that cross them.
God help the people of Ceuta 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/IYlvg2srug
— Basil the Great (@BasilTheGreat) September 18, 2026
No information is currently available on which Clade of mpox infected the teen. Legal Insurrection readers will recall the Clade 1 variant tends to be more virulent and easier to transmit than the Clade II variant, which was responsible for the 2022 outbreaks.
Meanwhile, as other regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo deal with Ebola, Governor Chrispin Mukendi Bukasa of the nation’s Kasai province confirmed the virus is circulating there.
This announcement formalizes the warnings that had been mounting since the beginning of September. In Luebo, in particular, health authorities had reported more than 30 suspected cases and four deaths in the Mukuandianga and Kambangoma health zones. In Tshikapa itself, three members of the same family had been reported as suspected cases in the Kanzala area.
The National Institute of Public Health (INSP) had already strengthened epidemiological surveillance in the province.
In his message, the governor sought to reassure the public. He announced that treatment for the disease is free in all health facilities targeted by the provincial government.
Kasaï : 77 cas suspects de Mpox dont 3 décès et 16 cas confirmés https://t.co/uvFY8VRxtt pic.twitter.com/kKTHCw0PTI
— 7SUR7.CD (@7sur7_cd) September 19, 2026
To complete this round-up of monkeypox news, WHO’s 69th mpox situation report said that 32 countries in four regions recorded 1,370 confirmed cases and seven deaths in July, a fatality rate of 0.5%. Between July 6 and August 16, 11 African countries reported ongoing mpox transmission, with 1,153 confirmed cases and seven deaths—a 0.6% fatality rate.
As of mid-September, all monkeypox variants continue to circulate.
It added that all clades of Monkeypox Virus (MPXV) continued to circulate, underscoring the need for sustained surveillance and coordinated response.
The organization, however, urged countries and partners to maintain mpox surveillance, notification, preparedness and response activities across all technical areas in line with WHO recommendations.
It added that the WHO Director-General’s standing recommendations on mpox, issued under the International Health Regulations (2005), had been extended until August 2027.
The report also noted that Chile and Hungary reported mpox caused by clade Ib MPXV for the first time, while several European countries continued to record community transmission of the clade.
In summary, let’s hope testing shows the Ceuta infection is not the more-concerning Clade I strain and that this remains an isolated case rather than morphing into an avoidable public-health emergency.
I will note that reported fatality rates are thankfully low, but low is not zero, particularly where crowded health centers, strained hospitals, and weak surveillance create ideal conditions for disease to spread.
African leaders and international partners would serve their citizens far better by prioritizing clinics, treatment access, clean water, and credible disease reporting over the redrawing of geographic maps for “the feelz“.
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