US confirms first case of new mpox variant initially seen in Congo

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

In Short

• Patient travelled from eastern Africa, risk to public is low
• Mpox is a rare disease related to smallpox, spread through close contact
• Over 3,100 cases reported in Africa since late September

Health officials said Saturday they have confirmed the first US case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo.

The person had travelled to eastern Africa and was treated in Northern California upon return, according to the California Department of Public Health. Symptoms are improving and the risk to the public is low.

The individual was isolated at home and health workers are reaching out to close contacts as a precaution, the state health department said.

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.

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 travellers outside the continent, spread has been very limited, according to the US 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 travellers with the new mpox form have been reported in Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe, and the UK.

Health officials earlier this month said the situation in Congo appears to be stabilising.

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.

The current outbreak is different from the 2022 global outbreak of mpox where gay and bisexual men made up the vast majority of cases.