First severe case of MPox confirmed in the United States

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this weekend confirmed the very first case of Clade I mpox, a severe form of MPox, in the USA, in a patient from California.

The United States’ first known case of a more severe strain of mpox was confirmed in California, the CDC says.

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2024-11-16T19:57:14.447Z

Cases of Clade II MPox have been circulating in the US since 2022, but according to the CDC, this is the first case of Clade I, the most severe form of the disease, to have been detected in the country.

The infected person had recently returned from East Africa, where a major MPox outbreak is underway, and was diagnosed with the severe Clade I form of the disease.

According to the CDC, the patient was treated at a local medical facility and is now recovering in home isolation.

Since 2022, the MPox epidemic has been causing global concern, with cases reported in several countries.

According to WHO, from the start of MPox surveillance to July 31, 2024, more than 100,000 confirmed cases of MPox linked to MPox clades I and II, including more than 200 deaths, have been reported from over 120 countries.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, still considered the epicenter, as well as Burundi and other East African countries, remain particularly affected.

However, the subtype responsible for the majority of the current spread of Clade I, Clade Ib, is relatively new. Most of the travel-related cases reported concern this subtype, which is far less lethal than Clade I.

The mortality rate for Clade Ib is less than 1%, whereas for previous cases of Clade I, it was between 3% and 11%.

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