The First US Case of Mpox Clade 1b Appears, In A Recent Returning Traveler From East Africa. Do Pay Attention -- To Coming Pronouncements Out Of MAGA -- For Mis-Information.

While the risk, generally, to the people of Northern California remains nearly zero, this is a wake up call. And this more lethal version of Mpox is spread almost exclusively by very close (even perhaps intimate) contact, the fact that an approved vaccine exists for it. . . is going to make Mpox Clade 1b a very potent political issue in upcoming Senate confirmation hearings (should they even be scheduled).

I will hope that the current whip count is accurate -- and that Mr. Kennedy (based even on GOP resistance) has no chance of being granted a Senate hearing for confirmation -- as Health Secretary, given his simply cultish views on vaccines (among other matters). In any event, here's the New York Times reporting, on it -- and a bit:

. . .A person in California has tested positive for a form of mpox causing a widespread epidemic in Africa, the state’s Department of Public Health reported on Saturday. It is the first known case in the United States.

The individual, who was not identified, had recently returned from East Africa. The patient was diagnosed in San Mateo County, just south of San Francisco, and was isolating at home.

Officials at the California Department of Public Health and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are reaching out to potential contacts of the patient for further testing.

There is no evidence that this version of the mpox virus, called Clade Ib, is circulating in communities in the United States, C.D.C. officials said. . . .

Now you know. Onward, with the Buffs in control of their own destiny, to reach the national playoffs -- and in Lawrence, Kansas for a dangerous game this coming Saturday, at midday. Smile.

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