Nov. 16 (UPI) — Health officials in California confirmed Saturday they have identified the first known case of a more severe form of mpox known as clade I in the United States but said the risk to the public remains low.
The state’s Department of Public Health said it had identified the infection in an individual who recently traveled from Africa, and confirmed it is related to an ongoing outbreak of clade I mpox in Central and Eastern Africa.
The affected person was treated in San Mateo County and is isolating at home while recovering, they said, emphasizing “there is no concern or evidence that mpox clade I is currently spreading between individuals in California or the United States.”
The California officials acknowledged that clade I mpox has historically caused more severe illness than the other known type of mpox, known as clade II. But, they added, more recent clade I infections have indicated it may not be as clinically severe as in previous outbreaks, “especially when cases have access to quality medical care.”
People usually get mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, through contact with the skin lesions or bodily fluids of infected wild animals in Africa (alive or dead) or humans, or through intimate or close contact, including sex, with an infected person.
Symptoms often include fever, rash, headache, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes. Fever is not always present.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued enhanced precautions for travelers to countries in Central and Eastern Africa in September, warning there is ongoing person-to-person transmission of mpox in Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
In those parts of Africa, person-to-person transmission of clade I mpox is occurring through sexual contact, day-to-day household contact and within the healthcare settings where there is no personal protective equipment, CDC officials said.
The agency is recommending mpox vaccinations for people, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, who anticipate going to those countries and engaging in risky sexual behaviors.
Earlier this money, a fourth mpox clade I case was detected in Britain. All cases belong to the same household, health officials said, while reiterating that risk to the general public remains low.
Since January, there have been 88 deaths 21,370 cases involving mpox worldwide, according to the CDC. In the United States, there were 3,004 cases of clade 2.