While plenty of attention has been paid to COVID protocols in Illinois schools, officials also say that they are keeping a close eye on monkeypox (MPV) as well, though no children have thus far tested positive for the virus in the state.
In all, 831 cases of MPV have been recorded so far in Illinois, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. None of those cases have been recorded in children, but officials are still getting questions on whether or not precautions will need to be taken.
“The risk for children in elementary school or middle school or even high school is pretty low, unless they’re having intimate contact,” Dr. Emily Landon, an infectious disease specialist at UChicago Medicine, says.
The Illinois Department of Public Health says that it is not implementing any wide-ranging mitigations against the virus, but did advise schools to keep an eye out for any students or staff that are reporting any new rashes or other potential symptoms of MPV.
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“It’s about making sure kids with new rashes aren’t in the classroom, and to get those checked out before they’re able to expose other children,” Landon says.
At the collegiate level, Landon says that contrary to popular belief, students aren't at much additional risk due to communal living conditions.
“When somebody has monkeypox and they live with someone who is not their intimate partner, that person is not getting monkeypox very often,” she says.
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The virus is spread through prolonged contact, and Landon says simple steps can be used by college students to help minimize risk.
“Don’t share towels, don’t share drinks, utensils or sheets (when possible),” she says.
Landon says that contact sports like football and wrestling could potentially lead to opportunities to spread MPV, but with no reported cases among children in the state, she says that those sports remain safe.
“The likelihood (right now) of your kid getting monkeypox in football practice or wrestling is zero because there aren’t any kids that have (the virus),” she says. “(If cases are reported), wrestling or football, or other places where you have really close skin-to-skin contact that’s not protected by a uniform or clothing, that’s where we could see transmission, however.”
The Illinois High School Association says that there are no mitigations currently being recommended by IDPH, but that they will work with schools in the event that guidance becomes necessary.
Above all, Landon says the key is to practice safe habits, especially for athletes.
“Not sharing towels, drinks or snacks, not sharing any other equipment that you use that’s close to your skin, that’s important,” she says.
