First U.S. Case of New mpox Strain Identified in Northern California, Public Risk Considered Low

A new strain of mpox has touched down in the U.S., with health officials confirming the first instance within our borders. An unnamed traveler, treated in Northern California after visiting eastern Africa, represents this first case stateside.

Unlike the strain that proliferated in 2022, primarily among men who have sex with men, the ramifications of this new strain have yet to fully unfold. Nevertheless, health officials are vigilantly tracing potential contacts to contain any possible spread. Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, mentioned toNBC Chicagothe known onset of symptoms: “After exposure, in about 4-7 days, you get flu-like symptoms, so headache, muscle aches, fever. But 2-3 days after that, you start getting these boils that people know about from 2022.”

As it stands, the United States finds itself as the sixth nation, beyond Africa’s borders, to report an incident of the clade I strain. This variant has been labeled potentially more severe than the strain that extensively spread last year. Clade I’s emergence has already led the World Health Organization to classify a global health emergency in August, marking the second such declaration about mpox in two years, as detailed byNBC Chicago.

In a broader context, beyond our local concern, the WHO has recorded more than 3,100 cases of the new strain since late September, concentrated largely in Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as perCBS News. Cases among travelers have already been reported across nations as diverse as Germany, Sweden, and Thailand, indicating a non-discriminatory reach. To combat the spread, an estimated 3 million vaccines are considered necessary for the Congo, with an additional 7 million for preventative distribution throughout the rest of Africa.

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