Two cases of the potentially more severe MPox strain were confirmed this week in Los Angeles County.
This particular type of mpox, known as “Clade I,” was first discovered in the United States among people who had never traveled abroad to high-risk areas.
The first case that became publicly known Tuesdaya Long Beach resident participated. Second, reported On Thursday I visited a resident of Los Angeles County. Both patients had to be hospitalized but are now recovering at home, health officials said.
“While the overall risk… of exposure to the public remains low, we are taking this very seriously,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “This highlights the importance of ongoing surveillance, early response and vaccination.”
This type of mpox is different from the one that spawned global outbreak in 2022, which is known as “Clade II”.
However, Clade I is potentially even more concerning because it can cause more severe illness and spread more easily, “including through close personal contact” such as massage or hugging, in addition to sex, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said.
“The identification of cases of mpox Clade I, which can cause more severe disease than the more common Clade II, is concerning,” Los Angeles County Health Commissioner Dr. Muntu Davis said in a statement Thursday.
Last year, the California Department of Public Health said Clade I has historically caused more severe illness than Clade II, but added that “recent mpox type I infections may not be as clinically severe as in previous outbreaks, especially when those affected have access to quality health care.”
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is primarily spread through close intimate contact, such as through body fluids, sores, sharing bedding or shared clothing, as well as through kissing, coughing and sneezing, health officials say.
Characteristic symptoms “include a rash or unusual sores that look like pimples or pus-filled blisters on the face, body or genitals, fever, chills, headache, muscle aches or swollen lymph nodes,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said. Other symptoms may include a sore throat.
“Anyone who develops an unexplained rash or lesions should avoid sex and intimate contact and seek medical attention as soon as possible,” the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services said.
People should get tested if they have symptoms, officials said. Those with symptoms should also avoid sex or close contact.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, mpox Clade II typically causes mild to moderate illness and has been circulating at low levels throughout the United States since 2022.
This year, 118 cases of mpox Clade II have been reported to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Until this week there were a total of six cases Clad I mpox in the US are all among people who have recently traveled to areas where this type of mpox circulates, namely central and eastern Africa. None of the cases were linked to each other, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC says there were more 40,000 cases of Clade I mpox. in central and eastern Africa.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the countries with confirmed cases, several modes of transmission of mpox type I have been documented, including “contact with infected dead or live wild animals” and “household contact, often involving crowded households,” in addition to sexual contact. in accordance with CDC.
These countries in central and eastern Africa have reported cases of mpox type I disease since 2024.
(US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
The risk to the US population for Clade I mpox is considered “low” according to the CDC. The agency classifies the risk for gay and bisexual men who have sex with more than one partner as “low to moderate.”
Travel-related cases of mpox Clade I have also been found in several other regions of the world, including Asia, Australia, Europe and South America.
The first case of mpox Clade I in the US occurred reported 11 months ago – in a California man who traveled to Africa and received care in San Mateo County, according to the CDC and California Department of Public Health. The person had a mild illness, the San Mateo County Health Department said. said at that time.
According to the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, most infected people recover within two to four weeks, “however, antiviral treatment may be considered for those with severe disease or at risk of developing it.”
Two doses of Jynneos vaccine also available to prevent the spread of mpox.
Those who have received only one dose can receive a second dose “regardless of how much time has passed since the first dose,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said.
Vaccines are widely available and can be found at pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS. People can seek vaccination appointments from the vaccine manufacturer. Bavarian Nordic. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also supports list of vaccination sites.
The vaccine is available to people at increased risk of illness, including those who have been in contact with an infected person in the past two weeks.
Gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men are also eligible for vaccination; transgender, non-binary or gender diverse people; people with HIV; people eligible for the program or taking medications to prevent HIV transmission through sexual contact or injection drug use; people traveling to sub-Saharan Africa or to areas with mpox type I outbreaks; people who plan to attend a commercial sex event or location, such as a sex club or bathhouse; people who have a sexual partner who is at higher risk of infection; and anyone asking for the mpox vaccine.
Officials are also recommending that people with occupational exposure risks, such as some laboratory workers, also get vaccinated.
