The first U.S. case of the more severe version of the monkeypox virus was confirmed in California on Saturday, health officials said a person who recently returned from Africa was infected with the latest strain of the monkeypox virus.
The patient became infected with the clade 1 strain after traveling to East Africa, where the virus outbreak continues. According to the California Department of Public Health.
Health officials said the person was treated at a San Mateo County health facility upon his return and is currently isolating at home with mild symptoms.
The ministry said the threat of new diseases remains a “very low” risk to the public.
California health officials are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contact and trace individuals who may have come into contact with the patient.
The latest strain, which emerged in eastern Congo earlier this year, can be transmitted through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual intercourse, and can lead to more severe illness and death, according to the CDC.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 31,000 confirmed cases have been reported since September, with the majority of cases occurring in three African countries: Burundi, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Travel-related cases of the new monkeypox infection have also been confirmed in Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom, according to the CDC.
Health officials said no deaths have been reported from the new strain.
Another monkeypox strain, called Clade II, has been circulating across the United States since a major outbreak two years ago.
The disease is rare outside Central and West Africa and is part of the same virus family as chickenpox and smallpox.
Typical symptoms of monkeypox include fever, chills, rash, and facial or genital lesions similar to those caused by smallpox.
Officials said people should get tested if: If a rash of unknown cause occurs. You have traveled to a country where monkeypox has been reported in the past 30 days. or have had close or sexual contact with a confirmed or suspected monkeypox infection.
