California Confirms First Case of Deadlier Mpox Strain
The infected individual had recently traveled to Africa, where there is an ongoing outbreak of the deadlier clade I mpox strain.
The California Department of Public Health confirmed the first-known U.S. case of clade I mpox, a deadlier strain of the virus than circulated a few years ago, on November 16 in someone who recently traveled to Africa. The case appears to be connected to an ongoing outbreak of the clade I strain on the African continent.
The infected individual received treatment in San Mateo County and is currently isolating amid their recovery.
“People who had close contact with this individual are being contacted by public health workers, but there is no concern or evidence that mpox clade I is currently spreading between individuals in California or the United States,” the department said in a statement.
Mpox is caused by an infection with the monkeypox virus, which is similar to the virus that causes smallpox.
The disease can spread from infected animals to humans and can easily be spread by humans to one another through close contact with each other, either through respiratory secretions, infected skin lesions, or contaminated objects such as clothes or blankets.
According to the World Health Organization, initial symptoms of mpox infection generally consist of fever, chills, exhaustion, headache, and muscle weakness, followed by a rash with painful lesions that scab over and gradually heal over a period of weeks.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the clade I form of the virus is considered more easily transmissible and causes a higher proportion of severe infections.
It is also more lethal than its sister strain, clade II, with the death rate ranging from 1.4% to 10%.
In August, the World Health Organization declared the rapid spread of the clade I strain in some African countries a “public health emergency of international concern,” which is the highest alarm level under international law.
Health officials called for an international response to curb the virus’s spread.
The clade II strain of the virus was responsible for the 2022 epidemic that rapidly spread across the globe, primarily through men who have sex with men and their subsequent sexual contacts.
In total, about 100,000 people were infected, with 200 dying from the disease. That virus’s death rate generally results in death in a mere 0.1% to 3.6% of cases.
Occasional outbreaks of clade II infections remain ongoing, with occasional spikes in infections in some states, especially those where people remain unvaccinated.
However, the rate of spread for clade II infections has backed off, primarily through abstinence and choices to reduce the number of sexual contacts.
According to the CDC, those infected with mpox should avoid close contact with others to avoid spreading the infection. People should avoid contact with contaminated materials, such as clothing, bedding, toothbrushes, sex toys, or materials used in healthcare settings.
People should clean and disinfect shared areas of the home and notify any past sexual partners of past exposure, should wash their hands often, and use protective gear, like masks, gowns, and gloves, to protect against infection.
People can also protect themselves by getting vaccinated with two doses of the orthopoxvirus vaccine, which protects against mpox, and avoiding intimate contact with others for 21 days to avoid getting infected before the body develops an immunity to the virus.
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