First US case of new mpox variant confirmed in California
Globally, more than 50,000 cases of mpox have been reported this year
The US reported its first case of a dangerous new variant of mpox on Saturday but said the risk to the public remains "very low."
California health officials said they confirmed a case of clade I mpox in an individual who recently traveled from Africa, where there is an ongoing outbreak of the virus.
The individual is isolating and recovering at home after receiving care in San Mateo County, according to California health officials.
Mpox was declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organization Aug. 14 after a surge in cases of the new variant in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The WHO's move cleared the way for a coordinated international response, including vaccination and other public health measures.
Globally, more than 50,000 cases of mpox have been reported this year.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised physicians to look out for mpox in patients who have recently traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries. The new strain is considered more infectious and deadly than the one that spurred an outbreak in 2022 that was also deemed a global emergency.
Earlier this month, the director-general of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Jean Kaseya, said mpox strains were still mutating. Recent analysis shows that clade Ia, which has circulated for decades in central and west Africa and is transmitted mainly through contact with animals, may have further mutated to enable it to spread more easily between people, he said.