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,

Health officials in California have confirmed the first domestic case of a more severe strain of mpox in a traveler from Eastern Africa, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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