A confirmed case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has surfaced in Anchorage, marking the first occurrence in the state for 2023.

While specific details about the individual’s identity remain undisclosed, it is known that the patient recently traveled to a region with a higher prevalence of mpox compared to the United States. This disease is typically found in Central and West Africa, as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to a public health alert from the Alaska Section of Epidemiology, no additional cases or local community transmission have been reported as of Monday.

Information regarding the patient’s point of departure or their route to Alaska remains unspecified. However, it is important to note that Anchorage, with its population nearing 290,000, operates an international airport handling approximately 9,000 passengers daily.

Health officials in Alaska have stated, “The patient was unvaccinated and reported engaging in anonymous sexual contact during travel, 8–10 days before the rash appeared. The illness has been mild; the patient is currently isolating and recovering at home.”

Authorities have contacted those who may have been exposed, initiating a comprehensive risk assessment and symptom-monitoring strategy. The strain affecting the Alaskan is clade II, a milder variant that triggered an outbreak in the US and Europe in 2022, with sporadic cases continuing since then.

Clade II is endemic to West Africa and has a reported mortality rate ranging from less than 1 percent to four percent. Clade I, which has been reported in the US this year, kills three to 10 percent of infected people.

The ongoing global outbreak of clade II mpox has resulted so far in more than 100,000 cases in 122 countries, with more than 2,100 new confirmed mpox cases and five deaths in November alone.

It was not revealed where the person was traveling from or how they entered the US and traveled to Alaska, but the Anchorage international airport (pictured) serves about 9,000 passengers per day

A case of Clade II mpox has been confirmed in Alaska, the strain that has been circulating worldwide since last year. It is typically less severe than the Clade I strain, which has infected several people in California this year (stock) 

There is no specific treatment for mpox, but it is vaccine-preventable. The vaccine can also be given post-exposure because the virus only becomes infectious after a few days when symptoms appear.

Mpox is transmitted through close physical contact with an infected person, including contact with body fluids, scabs, respiratory droplets transmitted during face-to-face contact or contaminated materials.

Symptoms of mpox typically come on between three and 17 days after exposure. They usually start with flu-like illness, causing fever, headache, body aches, chills, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes.

These are followed by a distinctive rash that can look like pimples or blisters, appearing on the face, hands, feet, inside the mouth or genitals, eventually crusting and scabbing over, lasting two to four weeks.

Alaska health officials advised every health practitioner to start testing for mpox: ‘Mpox may resemble syphilis, herpes or varicella and should be included in the differential for unexplained vesiculopustular or ulcerative lesions.

‘There is no validated test for asymptomatic individuals or those without active lesions.’

Countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Uganda and Rwanda are seeing significant Clade I outbreaks, which are more severe.

Health officials maintain that the risk of infection with Clades I and II is low. The virus is typically introduced in the US as a result of international travel, but it has proven capable of spreading at the community level among people with no recent history of leaving the country.

In 2025, the US saw its first community spread of the more severe mpox Clade 1, identified in California in October among individuals with no travel history, signaling local transmission beyond travel-related cases. Since then, three confirmed Clade 1 cases have been confirmed.

The above shows mpox cases in the US recorded this year as of Dec 2. They are all the Clade II variant and the seven-day average number of cases is around three. Cases are in blue and the seven-day average is the solid orange line 

The above is a graphic showing symptoms that could be a warning sign for an infection with the virus. Both strains trigger the same symptoms

While the CDC assesses the overall risk to the public as low, this marks a shift from earlier 2025 Clade 1 cases, which were linked to travel to Africa.

While anyone can get mpox through close contact, specific populations, including young children, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems and individuals with eczema, are more prone to severe illness and death.

Recent outbreaks have disproportionately affected men who have sex with men due to close, intimate contact during sex.

Alaskan health officials said anyone with questions or who needs to report a possible mpox case can contact the Section of Epidemiology at (907) 269-8000 or a 24-hour emergency line at 1-800-478-0084.