US health officials report the first case of a new form of mpox in a traveler

On By Littum

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials said Saturday they have confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox which was first seen in eastern Congo.

The person had traveled to East Africa and was treated in Northern California upon returning, according to the California Department of Public Health. Symptoms improve and the risk to the public is low.

AP Correspondent Julie Walker reports on the first confirmed US case of mpox, according to officials.

The person was isolating at home and health workers are reaching out to close contacts as a precaution, the state health department said.

Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus that is in the same family as the one that causes smallpox. It is endemic in parts of Africa where humans have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. Milder symptoms may include fever, chills and body aches. In more severe cases, people may develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new form of mpox in Africa that was spread through close contact, including through sex. It was widely transmitted in eastern and central Africa. But in cases identified in travelers outside the continent, spread has been very limited, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 3,100 confirmed cases have been reported since the end of September, according to the World Health Organization. The vast majority of them have been in three African countries – Burundi, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Since then, cases of travelers with the new mpox form have been reported in Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the UK.

Health officials said earlier this month that the situation in Congo appears to be stabilizing. The Africa CDC has estimated that Congo needs at least 3 million mpox vaccines to stop the spread, and another 7 million vaccines for the rest of Africa. The spread mostly occurs through sexual transmission and through close contact between children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.

The current outbreak is different from the global outbreak of mpox in 2022, where gay and bisexual men made up the vast majority of cases.

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