The first known case in the United States of a more severe strain of the monkeypox virus was confirmed in California Saturday.

The first case in the U.S. of a more severe strain of monkeypox was reported in San Mateo County, the California Department of Public Health said.

The United States’ first known case of a more severe strain of mpox was confirmed in California, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday. The risk of clade I mpox to the public remains low,

The unidentified patient had recently returned from Africa, where the virus has caused a deadly epidemic, health officials said.

Health officials on Saturday said they have identified the first U.S. case of an mpox strain that has recently prompted global health alerts over concerns about its spread, severity and transmissibility.

The individual is recovering after traveling from Africa, where an outbreak that has killed hundreds is spreading.

A new strain of mpox has been confirmed on American shores after a traveler returned to California from a visit to Africa, but risk to the public remains "very low."

California has reported the first US case of mpox - formerly known as monkeypox - that is part of a new outbreak. The state's department of health, the CDPH, said the new case was from the Clade I strain - different from the Clade II strain that has been in circulation in the US since 2022.

The U.S. has reported its first case of a more aggressive strain of mpox. The WHO declared the virus' spread a public health emergency in August.

US health officials reported the first case of a more aggressive mpox strain in California on Saturday. The US government’s Centre (CDC) announced that the strain, called Clade 1, was detected in a traveller who had visited east Africa.