The United States confirmed its first case of clade I Mpox, a more aggressive strain, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced Saturday.
The person diagnosed in the state of California recently travelled from Eastern Africa and was treated shortly after returning to the United States at a local medical facility and released.
The agency said that the new strain Mpox's risk to the general US public remains low, while the new case is related to an ongoing outbreak of clade I Mpox in Central and Eastern Africa.
Since release, the affected person has been isolated at home and is not on treatment specific for Mpox, and symptoms are improving, according to the agency.
Clade II Mpox, another strain primarily responsible for the global outbreak in 2022, has been circulating in the United States since then. The agency advised the public to avoid close contact with people with symptoms of Mpox or their used materials, and to get vaccinated.
According to the agency, people with Mpox often get a rash that may be located on hands, feet, chest, face, mouth and/or near the genitals, including the penis, testicles, labia, vagina, and anus. The incubation period is three to 17 days.
Meanwhile, the African continent is still in the acute phase of the Mpox outbreak as the number of cases reported so far this year surpassed the 50,000 mark, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned.
Mpox, known as monkeypox, was first detected in laboratory monkeys in 1958. It is a rare viral disease typically spread through body fluids, respiratory droplets, and other contaminated materials.
The infection usually causes fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes. In mid-August, the Africa CDC declared the ongoing Mpox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of continental security.
Soon after, the World Health Organization also declared Mpox a public health emergency of international concern, activating its highest level of global alert for Mpox for the second time in two years.
Xinhua