Monkeypox case confirmed in Keller ISD, bringing Tarrant County total to 101
Keller school district officials have confirmed a case of monkeypox at one of its campuses and are working to sanitize Central High School as a precaution, Star-Telegram media partner WFAA reported.
The sanitization is a precaution after a “member of the community” was diagnosed with the viral disease, according to WFAA. The district has not released any information beyond that about who was infected, but said it has contacted staff and families of students about the case as required by Tarrant County Public Health.
Monkeypox is a viral disease that can spread among any demographic, no matter race, sexual orientation or gender, but experts have said the risk of monkeypox spreading at schools is low.
The disease is related to smallpox. Until this year, monkeypox was exceedingly rare in the United States. While still not particularly common, it is becoming less rare.
According to data from Tarrant County Public Health, the county has 101 confirmed cases of monkeypox. It announced its first case in July.
Texas at large has 1,427 confirmed cases of the virus.
While initially the virus was spreading through travel outside the US, officials have seen it spread locally in recent weeks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released guidance for schools and daycares, including isolation for anybody who shows symptoms. Caregivers working with healthcare providers and the department of health should decide when the person with symptoms should return to the educational setting and prepare private spaces to assess the illness of children.
The CDC also said organizations should provide personal protective equipment who are caring for students with any infectious diseases.
Symptoms of monkeypox include a rash that goes through several stages, including scabbing, before healing. The rash could initially present as pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy. Other symptoms of the virus can include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle aches or backache, headache and respiratory symptoms including a sore throat, nasal congestion or a cough, according to the CDC.
Not everybody who becomes infected will show all the symptoms, and they may not always present in the same order, the CDC advises. Some people will have flu-like symptoms before the rash appears, some may present with a rash first and others may only experience a rash. Symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the virus and the rash usually develops one to four days later.
Anybody who shows symptoms should not go to school or work and should contact a health care provider.
This story was originally published August 27, 2022 at 3:45 PM.