San Mateo County health officials have announced the nation’s first known case of a key mpox variant that has fueled an outbreak of the disease across Eastern and Central Africa.
The county’s health department said Saturday they are working with state and local health officials in responding to the case of clade I mpox, which a person in the county contracted while traveling to Africa. The person appeared to have “mild” symptoms, and is isolating and recovering at home, the health agency said.
The case marked the first known instance of that particular mpox variant appearing in the United States, adding to a relatively small but growing number of countries across the world that have discovered cases of the variant. A different variant of the virus, called clade II, has been circulating in the U.S. since 2022 and has sickened at least 108 people in the county and more than 100,000 people worldwide over the last couple years.
The recently detected variant is known to case more severe illness, as well as deaths, than the version that had previously been found in the United States. Even so, local health officials said there was “very low risk to the public” from the virus, which can cause a painful rash, as well as a fever, chills and muscle aches.
“There is no concern or evidence that mpox clade I is currently spreading among individuals in San Mateo County or elsewhere in the United States,” the health agency said in a news release Saturday.
Check back for updates to this developing story.