With the first case of monkeypox hitting Boston Public Schools, health and school officials are following careful steps to keep the situation controlled and the community calm.
The district is working in partnership with Boston Public Health Commission, BPS said in a statement Monday, and in line with CDC guidance.
Since most of the virus has been spread among adults ages 20-49 through sexual or intimate contact, the risk of monkeypox outbreaks in primary schools is low, though higher education institutes — like other congregate living settings — are at higher risk.
To further reduce the risk of an outbreak, the CDC recommends following typical health practices like staying home when sick, providing adequate hand-washing supplies, practicing regular cleaning and disinfecting, providing ill children with private space and keeping personal protective equipment available.
If there are cases confirmed, guidelines state, schools should rigorously clean and disinfect impacted buildings, assist contact tracing to notify exposed individuals and distribute prevention information to the school community.
Exposed children and adolescents should be monitored for symptoms for 21 days. Students who develop symptoms at school should be given a mask, cover any rashes and be picked up by a caregiver to be taken for medical assessment.
More information can be found on the CDC’s FAQ page regarding monkeypox in schools.
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Originally Appeared Here