Over the weekend California reported the first known clade 1 mpox case in the United States, which involves someone who recently returned from an affected African country and sought care in San Mateo County.
Health officials from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) have not confirmed if the infection is cause by clade 1b, a more transmissible and severe mpox virus causing a widespread outbreak that started in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Dozens of African nations have reported clade 1b cases in recent months. The California case makes the United States the sixth country outside of Africa to report an imported clade 1 case, following the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Thailand, and India.
In 2022, clade 2 caused a global mpox outbreak primarily among men who have sex with men, including thousands of cases in California.
There is no concern or evidence that mpox clade I is currently spreading between individuals in California or the United States.
"The affected individual received health care in San Mateo County based on their travel history and symptoms. The individual is isolating at home and recovering," the CDPH said. "People who had close contact with this individual are being contacted by public health workers, but there is no concern or evidence that mpox clade I is currently spreading between individuals in California or the United States."
The CDPH said it has sent samples to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For now, officials recommend eligible citizens get vaccinated against mpox and take the standard precaution of avoiding close contact with a known case-patient.
In a news release, the CDC said, "CDC is working with the state to identify and follow up with potential contacts."
Angola reports first case
In other mpox news, Angola has reported its first mpox case, which involves a 28-year-old Congolese woman whose illness was detected in Luanda state. The clade is not yet known, but Angola is now the twentieth African country to report mpox.
Also today, Nigeria launched its mpox vaccine campaign today, the third country in Africa to do so behind the DRC and Rwanda. Seven states will see vaccines delivered. As of the end of October, there are 1,442 suspected cases of mpox in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
On November 22 the World Health Organization's mpox emergency committee meets to assess the latest developments and if the situation still warrants a public health emergency of international concern.
