The U.S. on Saturday reported its first case of a more aggressive strain of mpox: an individual in California who had recently traveled from Eastern Africa. It is classified into two distinct groups: the more aggressive strain, clade I, and a somewhat milder strain, clade II. In the current outbreak, clade I has been spreading largely through contact with infected animals and transmission within households, according to disease experts. But a version of the strain, clade Ib, has also spread through sexual contact among female sex workers and men who have sex with men in Congo. That’s compared to a 0.2% global fatality rate for the 2022 outbreak.

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Persons: “, Marc Siegel Organizations: California Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control, CDC, World Health Organization, Democratic, George Washington School of Medicine, Health Sciences, of Health, Human Service, Health Locations: California, Eastern Africa, San Mateo County, U.S, Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sweden, Thailand, Germany, India, United Kingdom, Congo