Virulent New Monkeypox Possibly Circulating Locally in L.A. County
Three people were hospitalized before being sent home to quarantine and recover from “Clade I” infections that were acquired within the U.S.
We have been following the spread of the virulent new monkeypox variant (i.e., mpox clade I) that is at the center of a significant outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries.
At the end of 2024, I reported that California had reported its first case of this strain. As a reminder, Clade I is easier to spread and causes more serious effects than the Clade II version that was responsible for the global outbreak in 2022. This case was travel-associated, with the individual recently returning from an area experiencing clade I transmission.
Forward to the autumn of 2025: Health officials in Los Angeles County have confirmed and are investigating possible local transmission of this more severe strain of “mpox“.
The trio of cases, all reported publicly this week, represents the first time this particular type of mpox, known as “Clade I,” has been found in the United States among people who had no history of traveling overseas to high-risk areas.
The first case, reported publicly on Tuesday, involved a resident of Long Beach. The second and third cases, reported Thursday and Friday, occurred among other Los Angeles County residents. All three patients were hospitalized but are now recovering at home.
“At this time, no clear link has been identified between the cases,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said.
Nonetheless, “the confirmation of a third case with no travel history raises concerns about possible local spread in Los Angeles County,” Dr. Muntu Davis, the L.A. County health officer, said in a statement. “We’re working closely with our partners to identify potential sources and understand how this potentially more serious type of the mpox virus may be spreading.”
Public health officials are quick to note that the risk of spread to the general public remains low.
The first local case was reported in Long Beach on Oct. 14, while two more were reported in other areas of LA County on the 16th and 17th. All three people were hospitalized before being sent home to quarantine and recover, officials said. No further details about the patients were released, and no clear link between the cases has been identified.
The risk to the public remains low, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a statement. It is recommended, however, that people at higher risk get vaccinated against the illness if they have not already.
As of this report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the U.S. has confirmed a total of nine clade I monkeypox cases so far this year, including three cases described above and six travel-associated cases linked to Central and Eastern Africa.
🚨Health alert from LA County: A rare, potentially more severe version of #mpox (clade I) was confirmed in three individuals in southern California without any travel history. Awareness and prevention matter especially if you are part of communities advised to get vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/shHV53pcr4
— IAPAC (@IAPAC) October 19, 2025
The CDC also notes that clade II mpox continues at low levels nationally, with sporadic clusters linked to travel from West Africa.Daily reports throughout 2025 show a steady but low number of cases nationwide, with most weeks averaging between two and ten confirmed infections per day. This indicates ongoing low-level transmission of clade II throughout the year without large-scale outbreaks.
Health officials are recommending vaccinations for those at risk of contracting the virus.
Mpox can spread through direct contact with infectious sores or body fluids, sexual or intimate contact, and touching contaminated items such as bedding or clothes. Most people recover within 2-4 weeks, but antiviral treatments may be considered for individuals with or at risk of developing severe illness, health officials said.
Despite the low risk of infection, health officials recommended vaccines for people who may be at increased risk, such as people who are gay or bisexual, men who have sex with men, transgender and non-binary people, people who are immunocompromised, someone who was exposed to a person with mpox, those with occupational exposure, and people planning to travel to areas with ongoing mpox outbreaks.
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Comments
To learn one weird trick to keep from getting monkeypox, send $1 and a SASE to Peter Moss.
(I’m sure that y’all already know what it is)
Don’t pox the monkey, you won’t get monkeypox?
Can we shock the monkey?
So, it’s an infection which doesn’t cause serious problems to most people who catch it, and which spreads mainly among people who engage in particular high risk activities, plus a few bystanders.
SHUT DOWN EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE!
Oh wait, no. That’s the wrong response.
But we have to do SOMETHING!
And this is something.
So we have to do it!
So, I guess it’s impossible for people traveling to Africa to avoid having buttsex while visiting?
Seems like a pretty low bar.
I woke up in a bathtub full of ice…
There is a great risk to the genital pubic.
Boy, they keep trying to push the “we gonna die” deadly disease of the week. I’ll try to hold myself back from gay, unprotected, promiscuous sex with drug addicts and homeless men until this is sorted out.
Millions of Californians could be infected.
Especially since every CA resident who’s not a politician, Hollywood star, tech billionaire, or an illegal is taking it up the you-know-what.
Better believe it.
Aren’t those the four categories most likely?
If you’re a gay man, who cannot control your libido, even in the face of suppurating lesions, watch out!
If, on the other hand, you are a sane straight or gay individual, you can ignore this.
They need to check whether Karen Bass, Gruesome Newsome, and all the other democrat politicians are carriers. Quarantine them until this is done.
people who are gay or bisexual, men who have sex with men, transgender and non-binary people
First… isn’t “gay and bisexual” the same as “men who have sex with men”?
Second, the transgenders and such aren’t really at risk simply because they’re taking hormones. It’s because a large number of them are also homosexual and bisexual.
Looks to me like Fauci’s apprentices are still embedded at the CDC. (See Fauci’s handling of HIV.)
They could have summarized it as “men who stick their thing where it doesn’t belong” and that would cover all bases.
Dare I ask how effective the vaccines are?
The vaccines are effective, but generally aren’t administered unless the patient is in a very high risk group because Monkey Pox WAS a rarely encountered disease until gay and bisexual men started spreading it at unprotected group sex events and venues. Then suddenly “high risk” took on a completely new meaning (it was no longer those who worked with animals such as zoo personnel, veterinarians, other animal technicians, etc.), it was anyone in close proximity to gay or bisexual men—including women and children. I read the alerts that were sent out. I haven’t seen a case of it yet in my clinic, and I don’t see many STD patients any more, however I’m sure some of my patients will start to ask whether they need vaccinated or not. The “fun” of being an infectious diseases doc never ends….
No! Not in LA county.
Who would have guessed?
Everyone “at risk” needs to get vaccinated. Do it for the poor dogs.