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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
United States’ first known case of more severe strain of mpox
confirmed in California
By Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN
Updated:
2:49 PM EST, Sat November 16, 2024
Source: CNN
The United States’ first known case of a more severe strain of mpox
was confirmed in California, the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said Saturday. The risk of clade I mpox to the public
remains low, the agency said.
The person diagnosed with clade I mpox had recently traveled from
Eastern Africa, where an mpox outbreak is ongoing. The person was
treated at a local medical facility and released, the CDC said. The
person has been isolating at home and their symptoms are improving. The
state and CDC are working to identify and follow up with potential
contacts.
Clade II mpox has been circulating in the United States since a large
outbreak in 2022 and 2023. A more recent outbreak in Africa is driven
by clade I, which is known to cause more severe disease.
The subtype that’s responsible for most of the ongoing spread, clade
Ib, is relatively new. Travel-related cases of mpox clade Ib have been
reported in Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe, and the
United Kingdom. Some countries outside of Africa have also reported
locally transmitted cases.
“The recent travel-associated clade I mpox cases outside of Africa
have all been attributed to subclade Ib; there have been no deaths
associated with these cases and available data for a subset has
detailed relatively mild disease courses,” the CDC said Saturday.
“Historically, clade I mpox has caused more severe illness and deaths
than clade II mpox; however, recent data demonstrate that infections
from clade I mpox in the current outbreak may not be as clinically
severe as in previous outbreaks. While outbreaks of clade I mpox used
to have death rates around 3%-11%, more recent outbreaks have had
death rates as low as approximately 1% when patients received good
medical oversight and supportive clinical care. Death rates are
expected to be much lower in countries with stronger healthcare systems
and treatment options, including the United States.”
The World Health Organization says the number of mpox cases in Africa
has been rising, driven mostly by cases in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Burundi and Uganda. On November 22, the WHO is set to convene a
meeting of its emergency committee on mpox to advise whether the
current outbreak still constitutes a public health emergency of
international concern.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease related to the
now-eradicated smallpox virus. It can spread through close contact such
as touching, kissing or sex, as well as through contaminated materials
like sheets, clothing and needles, according to the WHO.
Initial symptoms are typically flu-like — including fever, chills,
exhaustion, headache and muscle weakness — often followed by a
painful or itchy with raised lesions that scab over and resolve over a
period of weeks.
The CDC says people can protect themselves from mpox by avoiding
contact with people with symptoms and contaminated materials such as
clothing, bedding, sex toys and toothbrushes. People who are eligible
are recommended to get two doses of .
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