Mpox strain in NorCal
- Officials are urging vaccination after a potentially more dangerous mpox strain surfaced in Northern California. - The report did not specify county-level details but flagged a state‑regional alert. - Health authorities are recommending vaccination and monitoring while they trace exposures. (hanfordsentinel.com)
California health officials are urging people at higher risk for mpox to get vaccinated after San Francisco confirmed its first case of clade I mpox on April 14. (cdph.ca.gov) The case was identified in an unvaccinated San Francisco resident who was hospitalized and is improving after close contact with someone who had traveled internationally to an area where clade I is circulating, the California Department of Public Health and San Francisco officials said. (cdph.ca.gov) (sf.gov) Mpox spreads mainly through close skin-to-skin contact, including sex, and the vaccine used in the United States is a two-dose Jynneos series given 28 days apart. (cdc.gov 1) (cdc.gov 2) Clade I and clade II are the two main versions of the virus. California said vaccination protects against both, even as clade II cases continue to rise in the state. (cdc.gov) (cdph.ca.gov) State data show California is averaging 14.5 clade II cases a week in 2026, up from 5.8 in 2024 and 3.4 in 2025. Most of those infections have been in unvaccinated people, according to the state health department. (cdph.ca.gov) The San Francisco case is California’s seventh known clade I infection since November 2024 and the 16th reported in the United States so far, according to state and federal health agencies. (cdph.ca.gov) (cdc.gov) (kqed.org) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk to most people in the United States remains low. The agency said all 16 U.S. clade I cases have been tied to travel in Central or Eastern Africa, newer outbreaks in Western Europe, or contact with travelers from those areas. (cdc.gov) In Central and Eastern Africa, the ongoing clade I outbreak has caused more than 53,000 cases, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says clade Ia has had a higher case-fatality rate than clade Ib. (cdc.gov) San Francisco officials said people at risk should get both doses of vaccine now, while public health teams continue contact tracing and enhanced surveillance around the April 14 case. (sf.gov)
