U.S. reports first case of more aggressive Mpox strain in California

the U.S. confirmed Saturday its first case of a more aggressive strain of mpox, detected in an individual in California who had recently traveled from Eastern Africa.

The case, confirmed by the California Department of Public Health and reported to the CDC, was identified in San Mateo County, where the patient was treated based on their travel history and symptoms.

The individual is now isolating at home and recovering.

Public health authorities are tracing individuals who may have had close contact with the patient, but there is currently no evidence suggesting the strain is spreading locally in California or the U.S., according to the state’s health department.

This marks the U.S. as the sixth country outside of Africa to detect the more severe strain of mpox, which can cause more serious illness than the version of the virus that spread globally in 2022.

The strain’s presence in several African nations led the World Health Organization to declare a global public health emergency in August, the second such declaration for mpox in two years.