Two residents of California have been diagnosed with mpox, potentially the first cases in the United States resulting from local transmission of a different strain of the virus, according to health officials. The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the first case through testing at a state lab, while Los Angeles County health officials reported a similar second case.
Officials have reassured the public that the risk of transmission is low. Unlike the previous six cases of clade I mpox in the U.S., which were among international travelers infected abroad, these cases seem to have originated locally. Both individuals were hospitalized but are now recovering at home, with no identified link between the two cases, according to Jennifer Ann Gonzalez, acting public affairs officer for the Long Beach health department.
While Long Beach is located in Los Angeles County, it has its own city health department. Investigators have not found any close contacts who traveled internationally or confirmed additional cases. Nora Balanji, the communicable disease coordinator for the Long Beach department, stated that a few close contacts have been vaccinated as a precaution.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is a rare disease caused by a virus related to smallpox and primarily found in parts of Africa. Symptoms range from mild to severe, with fever, chills, body aches, and skin lesions being common manifestations. Clade II of the virus caused a global health crisis in 2022, mostly affecting men who have sex with men, but the outbreaks subsided with the help of the Jynneos vaccine.
The newer clade I virus can also spread through sexual contact but is more versatile in its transmission. It has affected a wider demographic, including children, in Africa. A recent variant of the clade I virus has caused outbreaks in eastern and central Africa, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency, which has since been downgraded due to decreased transmission rates.
Despite the decreasing threat, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University, expressed concerns about the local transmission of the virus in the U.S. The current federal government shutdown and layoffs at the CDC have raised additional challenges in responding to such outbreaks. Although some CDC experts have been available for consultation, the prolonged shutdown could hinder public health responses.
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