Three cases of severe mpox reported in California, health officials say

Unrelated cases mark first time clade I of disease formerly known as monkeypox has spread within US, officials say

Three California residents have been infected with clade I mpox, a more severe strain of the virus formerly known as monkeypox - marking the first time this type of mpox has spread within the US, health officials said on Friday.

The unrelated cases, identified in Long Beach and Los Angeles county, involve patients who had not recently traveled abroad. All three were hospitalized and are now recovering, according to the California department of public health.