New form of mpox reported in US for 1st time

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A clinician prepares a syringe with the mpox vaccine during the launch of the vaccination campaign at the General Hospital of Goma, on October 5, 2024. (Photo by AUBIN MUKONI/AFP via Getty Images)

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The first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo has been confirmed, health officials said.

The person infected traveled to eastern Africa and was treated in Northern California upon return, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Officials said the person is getting better and the risk to the public remains low. The individual is isolating at home.

What is mpox?

Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus that’s in the same family as the one that causes smallpox. It is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. Milder symptoms can include fever, chills and body aches. In more serious cases, people can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

What is the new form of mpox?

Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new form of mpox in Africa that was spread through close contact including through sex. It was widely transmitted in eastern and central Africa. But in cases that were identified in travelers outside of the continent, spread has been very limited, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 3,100 confirmed cases have been reported just since late September, according to the World Health Organization. The vast majority of them have been in three African countries — Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Since then, cases of travelers with the new mpox form have been reported in Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom.

Health officials earlier this month said the situation in Congo appears to be stabilizing. The Africa CDC has estimated Congo needs at least 3 million mpox vaccines to stop the spread, and another 7 million vaccines for the rest of Africa. The spread is mostly through sexual transmission as well as through close contact among children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.