The California Department of Public Health has reported the first case of severe clade I monkeypox in the United States.
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“The Department of Health <…> has discovered the first identified case of clade I strain of monkeypox in the United States. The confirmed case is in an individual who recently traveled from Africa and is associated with the current outbreak of clade I strain in Central and Eastern Africa,” the statement said.
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As noted in the press release, the clade I strain causes a more severe disease than the clade II strain that has already entered the United States. However, the department believes the current outbreak due to a severe strain may be easier to treat than earlier ones. Samples of the virus imported to the United States were sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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“The patient is isolated at home and is recovering. <…> There are no concerns or evidence that the clade I strain is spreading in California or the United States,” the department summed up.
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The Africa Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) on August 13 declared a health emergency due to the outbreak of monkeypox on the continent and called on the international community to help collect about two million doses of vaccine.
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Earlier, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak of monkeypox in Africa an epidemiological public health emergency of international concern.
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Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is potentially harmful to people with weakened immune systems. The infection is accompanied by fever, intoxication, enlarged lymph nodes and the subsequent spread of the rash – first in the form of spots that transform into blisters, after opening ulcers form, after they heal – crusts, and when they fall off – scars. In mild cases, the disease usually goes away on its own and lasts from 14 to 21 days.
