California patient is the first in the US to become infected with a deadlier form of MPox

A deadly strain of monkeypox has been discovered in the United States for the first time.

CDC scientists said a patient in California had tested positive for the Clade I mpox strain, which kills up to one in 10 people it infects.

The CDC said the patient recently returned to the U.S. from East Africa, where there is an outbreak of monkeypox, and was being treated in San Mateo County.

The patient was initially treated in hospital but has now been discharged home for recovery and needs to be isolated.

Officials said the risk to the public was “low” and said the disease spreads only through direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with contaminated towels or bedding.

No further details about the patient were revealed, including when they returned to the US, how they became infected or what their symptoms were.

But scientists said they were expected to make a full recovery.

The Clade I strain is more serious than the Clade II type, which is currently circulating in the US and was responsible for the 2022 outbreak. This strain has a mortality rate of less than three percent and has killed 63 Americans since the 2022 outbreak.

Officials said the patient had recently returned to the US from East Africa (this is a stock photo of the symptoms and does not show the patient)

In its warning, the CDC said, “The risk from clade I mpox to the public remains low, and sporadic clade II mpox cases continue to occur in the United States.

‘It is unlikely that incidental contact, such as when travelling, poses significant risks for the transmission of MPOX.’

More than 34,000 people have been infected with Clade II monkeypox since the outbreak began in 2022, and at least 63 people have died so far.

Officials have rolled out vaccines to gay and bisexual men — among whom the majority of cases were diagnosed — during the outbreak to slow infections.

But the CDC continues to record ‘sporadic’ cases in the US, with 2,368 infections detected this year – and 72 in the past month alone.

The overall death rate in the US currently stands at 1.85 percent, with scientists saying treatments and the vaccination campaign have helped keep it low.

The California patient came to the US from Africa, where a major outbreak of the Clade I strain is currently occurring in central and eastern regions, mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 47,000 suspected cases.

But cases began spreading beyond the DRC over the summer to neighboring countries including Burundi, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Rwanda and Uganda.

WHO officials raised the alarm about the outbreak in August and officially declared it a public health emergency.

More than 50,000 cases of monkeypox have been recorded so far during the outbreak in the region, and 1,100 people have died from the infections.

Officials are trying to combat the outbreak by rolling out vaccines to boost immunity against the virus. More than 5.85 million doses are expected to be delivered to the region by the end of the year.

And vaccines that are administered to people after they have been exposed to the virus are currently being tested in Africa. Researchers are investigating whether these can prevent the development of an infection.

Scientists say the spread is largely caused by skin-to-skin sexual contact with rashes caused by the disease.

Symptoms take three to 21 days to develop and are usually a rash that forms on the infected area, including the genitals, anus, chest, or hands.

Other symptoms include severe headache, fever, and muscle and back pain.

There is no cure, but doctors can treat symptoms with antiviral medications that target viruses such as monkeypox.

Patients may also receive IV drips and supportive rest to help their body fight the disease.