Detected

• Health officials confirmed the first case of mpox clade I in New York City on Friday, a strain known to cause more severe disease and higher mortality than clade II. • Clade I mpox leads to greater illness severity, prompting heightened vigilance in the densely populated urban area amid the ongoing national mpox situation. • Detection underscores risks in international travel hubs, as clade I has driven recent African outbreaks with fatality rates exceeding 3% in some regions.

• The COVID-19 variant BA.3.2, nicknamed 'Cicada,' has spread to half the US states and at least 23 countries worldwide. • Health monitors track its emergence amid ongoing circulation of respiratory pathogens. • While specific severity data is pending, it adds to concerns over variant evolution and vaccine effectiveness.

Strain found in 29 states and Puerto Rico carries spike mutations, but no data shows increased severitySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxBA.3.2, an Omicron variant of Covid-19 with dozens of new spike mutations, has been detected in 29 US states and Puerto Rico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but experts say there is not yet evidence it is more severe than other recent variants.“The right response to BA.3.2 is serious attention, not alarm,” says Dr Jake Scott, a Stanford professor and infectious disease expert who authored a systematic review of Covid vaccines for the New England Journal of Medicine. Continue reading...