The health official confirmed the first locally acquired case of potentially more severe strain of Mpox clade 1 in the United States.
The case has been detected in Long Beach, California, the patient did not travel internationally and was hospitalized, but is currently in the recovery stage at home.
“While the overall risk to the public remains low, we are taking this very seriously,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson stated.
Richardson further stressed the need for continued surveillance, early response, and vaccination.
It’s worth mentioning that health authorities are conducting contact tracing; however, no more illnesses have been reported yet.
Clade 1 Mpox, most commonly found in Central and East Africa, is known to cause more severe illness in contrast to clade 2, which was associated with the 2022–23 global outbreak that primarily affected men who have sex with men (MSM).
Mpox is transmitted through direct infectious sores, body fluids, sexual contact, and contaminated products.
The CDC strongly advised vaccination with Jynneos for high-risk, such as transgender and non-binary people, folks with suppressed immune systems, people exposed to infected persons.
A Long Beach public health physician Dr. Cliff Okada stated, “Anyone with an unexplained rash or lesions should seek care promptly.”
Most Mpox patients recover within 2-4 weeks without treatment.
