SACRAMENTO - California health officials are encouraging at-risk individuals to get the mpox vaccine as cases rise in the state, the California Department of Public Health announced.

San Francisco’s first case of clade I mpox was identified earlier in April, CDPH said, making it the seventh identified case of clade I mpox in California since November 2024. Meanwhile, cases of the other, less severe strain, clade II, are steadily increasing.

“So far in 2026, California is experiencing more than double the average weekly number of clade II cases compared to the same period in previous years — 14.5 weekly cases in 2026 compared to 5.8 in 2024 and 3.4 in 2025,” a California Department of Public Health news release says.

While the risks of contracting the disease are low for the general public, the department is “strongly encouraging” at-risk individuals, including gay and bisexual men, to get vaccinated.

Story Date: April 30, 2026