US reports first clade I mpox case

Health officials said Saturday they have confirmed the first US case of a new form of mpox first seen in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The person had traveled to East Africa and was treated in Northern California upon their return, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Their symptoms improve without specific mpox treatment and the risk to the public is low.

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

New mpox strain spread across eastern and central Africa

Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus in the same family as that which 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. The strain, called clade I, was widely transmitted in eastern and central Africa.

The spread of cases identified in travelers outside the continent has been very limited, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 3,100 confirmed cases have been reported since late 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.

Africa CDC calls for more mpox vaccines

Health officials said earlier this month that the situation in the DRC appears to be stabilizing.

The Africa CDC has estimated that the DRC 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.

AP/Reuters