The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has reported the first known case of the Mpox virus variant in the United States. According to a CDPH release: Saturday.
A case of “clade I mpox” was recently identified in a traveler returning from Africa, where this strain is actively circulating. CDPH officials emphasized that the risk to the public remains “very low.”
This person, who received medical treatment in San Mateo County due to his travel history to East Africa and symptoms, is in quarantine at home.
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Lineage I mpox, which has historically been associated with more severe disease than lineage II, the strain that has caused outbreaks in California and the United States since 2022, had milder clinical symptoms in recent cases as long as patients received treatment. medical treatment.
CDPH has notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of this incident and is sending the patient’s specimens for further laboratory analysis.
The new variant of Mpox was first recorded in the United States in a case discovered in California. (iStock)
Public health officials are contacting people who may have been in close contact with the patient, but there is no evidence of community transmission of the I mpox strain. in california Or the rest of the country.
The CDC has linked Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks to cruise ship hot tubs.
Clade I and clade II mpox are primarily spread through close skin-to-skin contact, intimate contact, or sexual contact. CDPH also reassured the public in its announcement that casual contact, such as in offices, classrooms or stores, minimizes the risk of Mpox transmission.
The latest variant primarily spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact, and has the potential to cause serious illness or even death, according to the CDC. It first appeared in eastern Congo.
On September 20, a patient infected with M-pox shows lesions on his body in Kamituga, South Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. (Glody Murhabazi/AFP, via Getty Images)
More than 31,000 confirmed cases of the Mpox variant have been recorded worldwide since September, most of which are concentrated in: 3 African countries: Burundi, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of Congo reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
CDC has also identified travel-related cases of this new Mpox variant in countries including Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom.
CDC has announced enhanced precautions for travelers to Central and Eastern Africa where clade I mpox outbreaks are ongoing.
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According to the CDC, no deaths have yet been reported due to this new variant.
CDPH did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Jasmine is a writer for Fox News Digital and a military spouse living in New Orleans. You can send your story jasmine.baehr@fox.com
