First US case of mpox strain confirmed in traveler: health officials – Nationwide
Health officials said on Saturday they had confirmed the first US case of a new type of mpox that first appeared in eastern Congo.
The person had traveled to eastern Africa and was treated in Northern California upon his return, according to the California Department of Public Health. Symptoms are improving and the risk to the public is low.
The person was staying alone at home and the health workers tried to contact them as a way to protect themselves, said the Ministry of National Health.
Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus in the same family as smallpox. It is prevalent in some parts of Africa, where people have been infected by the bites of rats or small animals. Less serious symptoms may include fever, chills and body aches. In severe cases, people can develop sores on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new type of mpox in Africa that is spread through sexual contact. It was widely distributed in eastern and central Africa. But in cases identified from travelers outside the continent, the spread is much more limited, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 3,100 confirmed cases have been reported since late September, according to the World Health Organization. Most of them came from three African countries namely Burundi, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Since then, cases of travelers with the new form of mpox have been reported in Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom.
Health officials earlier this month said that the situation in Congo appears to be stable. The Africa CDC estimates that Congo needs at least 3 million mpox injections to stop the spread, as well as 7 million other vaccines across Africa. Spread occurs mainly through sexual transmission and contact between children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.
The current outbreak is different from the 2022 global outbreak in which bisexual men accounted for the majority of cases.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
