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The United States said on Saturday that the first known case of a more serious form of the monkeypox (mpox) virus has been reported in California. The case involves a man who recently returned from East Africa.
According to the California Department of Public Health, the patient has a clade 1 strain, the latest form of monkeypox.
A New York Post report said the patient was treated at a medical facility in San Mateo County upon his return and is currently isolated at home with mild symptoms.
US health officials are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contact and trace anyone who may have come in contact with the patient.
Monkeypox is caused by a virus transmitted by infected animals to humans and can also spread from human to human through close physical contact.
Viral infections cause pus-filled sores and flu-like symptoms, which are usually mild.
The clade 1b variant has caused global concern because it appears to spread more easily through regular close contact.
Danger of new strain of monkeypox
The California Department of Public Health said the threat of the new strain of monkeypox remains a “very low” risk to the public.
The latest strain emerged in eastern Congo earlier this year. It is spread by close skin-to-skin contact, including sex. This can cause serious illness and even death.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 31,000 confirmed cases have been reported since September. Most of the cases have been reported in three African countries – Burundi, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Among other countries, Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom have also reported travel-related cases of the new monkeypox strain.
Monkeypox is uncommon outside Central and West Africa and is part of the same family of viruses that cause chickenpox and smallpox.
Symptoms of Monkeypox
Symptoms of this disease include fever, chills, rash, and smallpox-like lesions on the face or genitals.
People should be tested if they develop these symptoms, have traveled in the past 30 days to a country where monkeypox has been reported, have had close or sexual contact with confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox.
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