Two cases of the severe form of MPOX were confirmed in Los Angeles County this week.
This is the first time this type of MPOX, known as “Clade I,” has been found in the United States among people with no history of overseas travel.
The first case, which was made public on Tuesday, involved a Long Beach resident. The second, reported Thursday, was a Los Angeles County resident. Both patients had to be hospitalized but are now recovering at home, health officials said.
“While the overall risk of … Public exposure remains low, we take this very seriously,” Long County Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “This emphasizes the importance of continued surveillance, early response and vaccination.”
This type of MPOX is different from the one revealed by the global outbreak in 2022, known as “Clade II.”
The Clade can be more concerning, however, because it can cause serious illness and spread easily,” including contact with people, in addition to sex, said the Ministry of Public Health.
“The identification of cases of clade i Mpox, which can cause more illness than the usual clade ii, is concerning,” said La County health officer Dr Muntu Davis in a statement on Thursday.
The California Department of Health said last year that the strain is more severe than clade ii, but added that “latest outbreaks of mpox may not be able to prevent outbreaks in advanced medical care.”
Mpox, formerly known as Monkeypox, is primarily spread through close contact, such as through bodily fluids, sores, bed bugs or shared clothing, as well as hacking, coughing and hacking, health officials say.
Telltale signs “include sores or unusual sores that look like pimples or blues full of pus on the face, body and genitals, fullness of the head, Department of Health in the head. Other indications may include a sore throat.
“Anyone who develops an unexplained rash or sores should avoid sexual contact and seek medical attention as soon as possible,” the Department of Health and Long-Term Care said.
People should be tested if they have symptoms, officials said. Those with symptoms should also avoid having sex or being intimate with them.
Clade II MPOX usually causes more illness and has been circulating at low levels across the United States as of 2022, according to the Department of Public Health.
There have been 118 cases of Clade II MPOX reported to the La County Public Health Department so far this year.
Before this week, there were six cases of Clade I Mpox in the US – all among people who had recently traveled from areas where this type of Mpox circulates, namely central and eastern Africa. None of those conditions are linked to each other, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC says there are more than 40,000 cases of Clade I Mpox in Central and Eastern Africa.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the countries with the confirmed species, many methods of mpox transmission have been documented, including “contact with wild animals” and “house contact often involving crowded homes, according to the CDC.
These countries in central and eastern Africa are reporting clade mpox cases from 2024.
(US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
The risk to the general population in the US from CLDED I Mpox is considered “Low,” the CDC says. The agency classifies the risk for gay and bisexual men who have sex with more than one partner as “low to moderate.”
Cases associated with Mpox-only travel in MPOX have also been found in other regions around the world, including ESIA, Australia, Europe and South America.
The first Mpox case in the US was reported 11 months ago – from someone in California who had traveled to Africa and received care in San Mateo County, according to the CDC and the California Department of Public Health. That person had a mild illness, the San Mateo County Health Department said at the time.
Most people infected with the virus get better within two to four weeks, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, “but permanent treatment may be required for some people or at risk of becoming seriously ill.”
Two jyneos vaccines are available to help prevent the spread of mpox.
Those who received only one dose can receive their second dose “regardless of how long it has been since the first dose,” the Department of Public Health said.
Vaccines are widely available, and can be found at pharmacies such as Walgreens and CV. People can look for places to get vaccinated through the vaccine maker, Bavaria Nordic. The La County Department of Public Health also maintains a list of vaccination sites.
The vaccine is available for people at high risk of illness, including those who were exposed to an infected person in the past two weeks.
It is also necessary to vaccinate gay people and all other men who have sex with men; transgender, people of different genders; People with HIV; people who are eligible or taking medication to prevent acquiring HIV through sexual or injecting drug use; People traveling to sub-Saharan Africa or areas endemic for MPOX; People planning to go to a sex party or place, such as a sex club or bathhouse; people with a sexual partner at high risk of infection; And another person asking for Mpox vaccination.
Authorities recommend people at risk of infection, such as certain lab workers, also be vaccinated.
