US reports first case of new mpox variant
November 17, 2024
US health officials confirmed a case of the clade I mpox in California on Saturday. This is the first case of the strain in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the person had recently traveled from eastern Africa. The individual was treated at a medical facility in northern California and then released.
"Since then, the person has isolated at home, is not on treatment specific for mpox, and symptoms are improving," the CDC said.
"Although clade II mpox has been circulating in the United States since 2022, clade I mpox has never been reported in the United States before now," the CDC added.
According to the California Department of Public Health, the patient's symptoms had improved and the risk to public health was low. The person was isolating at home now, and authorities were reaching out to their close contacts.
What is mpox
Mpox is a disease caused when someone is infected with a virus in the same family that causes smallpox. People have been infected from being bitten by rodents or other small animals.
In parts of Africa, it has reached the endemic stage. Some symptoms include fever, chills and body aches. In severe cases, patients can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
The clade I variant was reported earlier this year. It spreads through close contact, including sex. Several cases had been reported in eastern and Central Africa, and a few were also reported in travelers from other parts of the world.
The disease is spread mostly through sexual transmission and close contact in pregnant women, children and vulnerable groups.
Most of the cases have come from Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The WHO says more than 3,100 cases have been reported since late September.
Cases have been reported in Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom.
The situation in Congo is stabilizing as per health officials, but the country needs at least 3 million vaccines.
tg/sms (dpa, AP, Reuters)