Mpox virus: United States confirms first case, in a traveler [Video]

New York –

Health officials said Saturday they have confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo.

The person had traveled to eastern Africa and was treated in Northern California upon return, according to the California Department of Public Health. Symptoms are improving and the risk to the public is low.

Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus that’s in the same family as the one that causes smallpox. It is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals.

Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new form of mpox in Africa that was spread through close contact including through sex.

More than 3,100 confirmed cases have been reported just since late September, according to the World Health Organization. The vast majority of them have been in three African countries — Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Since …