What public health experts want you to know about the severe mpox strain appearing in the U.S.

"A more severe strain of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has quietly appeared in California, and for the first time, the infections weren't brought here by travelers. For the nation's LGBTQ+ communities, the news is unsettling not only because of what it says about the virus, but also because of what it reveals about a public health system in crisis."

"He explained that this is the first time in the U.S. that Clade I has been identified in three people without a travel nexus. "That means somewhere there's been local transmission of a virus that we know can transmit and has a pretty good profile for being contagious," Daskalakis said. All three patients, two in Los Angeles and one in Long Beach, were hospitalized. None were vaccinated. The cases appear unrelated, though their viral samples are genetically linked."

A more severe Clade I mpox strain emerged in Southern California in spring 2024 and has now been detected locally without travel links. Clade I has caused severe outbreaks in Central and Eastern Africa and carries a higher complication rate than the Clade II strain that spread globally in 2022. Three hospitalized, unvaccinated patients in Los Angeles and Long Beach had genetically linked viral samples, suggesting local transmission. The infections appear unrelated by contact but share genetic ties. Clade I is not demonstrated to be more infectious, but its severity and local spread signal vulnerabilities in public health preparedness and surveillance.

Read at Advocate.com