U.S. reports cases of new COVID variant NB.1.8.1 behind surge in China
Cases linked to the NB.1.8.1 variant have been reported in arriving international travelers at airports in California, Washington state, Virginia and the New York City area, according to records uploaded by the CDC's airport testing partner Ginkgo Bioworks.
By Alexander Tin
Edited By Melissa Gaffney
May 23, 2025
New Contagious Covid-19 Variant Now Circulating In California
May 28, 2025
Scientists at Stanford University have detected a new COVID variant that experts say is already evident in wastewater samples in California, even as access to vaccines is restricted.
WHO declares mpox outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency as a new form of the virus spreads
Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the mpox outbreaks were a public health emergency, with more than 500 deaths, and called for international help to stop the virus’ spread.
Clade I mpox has been seen in the United States before, but only in people with recent travel abroad. The three cases in California have no such history.
www.usatoday.com
California health officials are investigating cases of a more severe form of mpox after confirming it had, for first time known to authorities, spread locally in the United States.
Three cases of clade I mpox were confirmed in Los Angeles County this week in people who had not recently traveled to a country where the virus is commonly found, the LA health department said in an Oct. 17 press release. While a different clade, or group, of mpox has been present in the United States for years, these new cases represent the first of this kind that appear to have been spread locally rather than via exposure during travel abroad….
A man in the Democratic Republic of Congo has lesions on his face after contracting mpox in the latest outbreak.