Health officials on Saturday said they have identified the first U.S. case of an mpox strain that has recently prompted global health alerts over concerns about its spread, severity and transmissibility.

The first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo has been confirmed, health officials said. The person infected traveled to eastern Africa and was treated in Northern California upon return, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The unidentified patient had recently returned from Africa, where the virus has caused a deadly epidemic, health officials said.

The individual is recovering after traveling from Africa, where an outbreak that has killed hundreds is spreading.

The first case of a new strain of mpox in the United States has been reported in San Mateo County, officials said Saturday.

Health officials say they have confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo.

The first known case in the United States of a more severe strain of the monkeypox virus was confirmed in California Saturday as health officials said an individual who recently returned from Africa contracted the latest form of the disease.

The first known case of clade I mpox in the U.S. was recently discovered in a person in California, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday.