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7h ago

Two Clade I Mpox Cases Without Travel Confirmed in L.A. County, Suggesting Local Spread

Officials urge targeted vaccination for higher-risk groups.

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FILE - Vials of the Jynneos vaccine for monkeypox are taken from a cooler at a vaccinations site, Aug. 29, 2022, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File)
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Colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox virus particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory. (Photo by: NIH-NIAID/IMAGE POINT FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Long Beach confirmed the first U.S. clade I mpox case without recent travel earlier this week, followed by a second such case reported by Los Angeles County on Thursday, and both patients are recovering at home after hospitalization.
  • Local health departments are investigating exposures, tracing contacts, and have vaccinated some close contacts, with no additional linked cases confirmed to date.
  • Officials say the overall risk to the public is low and emphasize that most transmission occurs through close, intimate contact with symptomatic individuals.
  • Clade I has historically been associated with more severe illness than clade II, which remains in low-level circulation, including 118 clade II cases reported in Los Angeles County this year.
  • Authorities recommend the two-dose JYNNEOS vaccine for people at higher risk and urge prompt testing for symptoms, while CDC involvement may be limited due to a federal shutdown and recent staff reductions.