Post-Mpox Sequelae Persist 11 to 18 Months After Acute Illness

FRIDAY, Jan. 23, 2026 (HealthDay News) — At 11 to 18 months after acute mpox, post-mpox sequelae persist frequently, according to a study published online Jan. 20 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Preetam A. Cholli, M.D., from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues characterized post-mpox sequelae 11 to 18 months after acute mpox diagnosis in a cohort study conducted among adults attending HIV, preexposure prophylaxis, or sexually transmitted infection clinics, diagnosed with mpox during May 2022 to January 2023 (post-mpox; 154 patients) or at risk for but never diagnosed with mpox (no-mpox; 201 participants).

The researchers found that between the groups, the proportion of participants reporting increased psychobehavioral symptoms was generally similar. Eighty-nine of the post-mpox participants (58 percent) had at least one persistent sequela; 86 (56 percent) were related to appearance, and of these, 44 of 86 (51 percent) occurred at two or fewer sites. Twenty (13 percent) post-mpox participants had functional sequelae; 10 and seven had ongoing anorectal and urinary dysfunction, respectively.

“Our findings provide informative context for characterizing the types of, and risk for, persistent physical and psychosocial sequelae that may occur because of mpox,” the authors write.

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