The first case of Clade I mpox has been registered in the US state of California, the state's public health department (CDPH) said on Saturday.
"CDPH has reported to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the first case of clade I mpox in the United States. Clade I is different than clade II, the strain of mpox that has been circulating in California and the United States since 2022. The individual is isolating at home and the risk to the public remains very low," the department's statement said.
Earlier, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the mpox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern.
The CDC declared a public health emergency on August 13 due to the monkeypox outbreak on the continent and called on the international community to help collect about 2 million doses of the vaccine.
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is potentially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems. The infection is accompanied by fever, intoxication, enlarged lymph nodes, and subsequent spread of a rash — first in the form of spots that transform into blisters, ulcers form after they open, crusts form after they heal, and when they fall off, scars appear. With a mild course of the disease, it usually goes away on its own and lasts from 14 to 21 days.