Gwinnett County elementary school confirms positive case of monkeypox

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Title: Gwinnett County elementary school confirms positive case of monkeypox

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DACULA, Ga. – Gwinnett County school officials have confirmed a positive case of monkeypox at a local elementary school.

In a letter sent to the community Friday, officials with Gwinnett County Public Schools said that an individual at Dacula Elementary School located on the 2500 block of Fence Road has tested positive for the virus.

Officials say the individual, whose identity will not be released, will remain off campus until cleared to return to school by medical officials.

The school system is currently contact tracing and will notify any parents of students believed to have been in close contact to the individual. If you are a parent or guardian of a student at Dacula Elementary School and are not contact, officials say it is “highly unlikely” your child was exposed.

“I want to reassure you, we are taking this situation very seriously and the risk of monkeypox transmission in a school setting is very minimal,” a spokesperson for the GCPS said in the letter.

As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports Georgia has confirmed 1,299 cases of the virus in the state. Georgia has the fifth-highest number of cases, trailing New York, California, Florida, and Texas.

What are the symptoms of monkeypox, and how is it spread?

Most monkeypox patients experience only fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious illness may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body. 

The disease is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. It does not usually spread easily among people.

In June, cases began emerging in Europe and the United States. Many — but not all — of those who contracted the virus had traveled internationally. Most were men who have sex with men, but health officials stress that anyone can get monkeypox.

The disease can be spread through close, personal, skin-to-skin contact including direct contact with rashes or sores, contact with objects or fabric that have been used by someone with monkeypox, or respiratory droplets or oral fluids.

There have been no U.S. deaths and officials say the risk to the American public is low. But they are taking steps to assure people that medical measures are in place to deal with the growing problem.

A two-dose vaccine, Jynneos, is approved for monkeypox in the U.S. The government has many more doses of an older smallpox vaccine — ACAM2000 — that they say could also be used, but that vaccine is considered to have a greater risk of side effects and is not recommended for people who have HIV. So it’s the Jynneos vaccine that officials have been trying to use as a primary weapon against the monkeypox outbreak.

Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their healthcare provider, even if you do not believe you have had contact with anyone who has contracted the virus. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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