The Newton County school system said it was notified of confirmed and suspected cases on Tuesday.

In addition to Newton’s case, DPH spokeswoman Nancy Nydom said an earlier pediatric case of monkeypox was reported on the Atlanta subway, but did not specify which county the case was in. but he didn’t tell me where in Georgia it was.

The number of monkeypox cases in Georgia rose to 1,240 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the DPH. This includes 3 pediatric cases and 19 women. The CDC reports that there are 17 of her children across the United States under the age of 15 who have been diagnosed with monkeypox.

Registered pharmacist Sapana Patel holds a bottle of monkeypox vaccine at a pop-up monkeypox vaccination site in West Hollywood, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, file).

Credit: Richard Vogel

Credit: Richard Vogel

Registered pharmacist Sapana Patel holds a bottle of monkeypox vaccine at a pop-up monkeypox vaccination site in West Hollywood, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, file).

Credit: Richard Vogel

Credit: Richard Vogel

The DPH website detailing Georgia’s monkeypox cases will be updated Wednesday afternoon.

Newton County School System officials notified parents at both schools of the incident via school messenger. Parents of students who are believed to have had close contact with sick students will receive additional communication from school officials advising them on next steps.

The CDC defines a close contact as someone who has had skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, such as touching or coming into contact with a monkeypox rash, or sharing items such as towels or bedding. .

The Newton school system announced Tuesday that maintenance personnel will be cleaning and disinfecting classrooms and other areas at both elementary schools.

At the start of the new school year, health experts said parents shouldn’t expect to be notified by schools if there are cases of monkeypox among school staff or students. Like other reportable illnesses, health care providers are required to report monkeypox cases to DPH, but state departments of education do not have the authority to require schools to report cases, a DOE spokesperson said. said the person.

The Georgia Department of Health is hosting a large monkeypox vaccine clinic in DeKalb County.

The Georgia Department of Health is hosting a large monkeypox vaccine clinic in DeKalb County.

When students began returning to school earlier this month, Clayton County schools told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday that an employee contracted the virus over the summer but had no contact with students or teachers. said.

Health experts say the risk of monkeypox spreading in school settings appears to be a “very low risk” based on data so far. But it’s not zero risk.

Dr. Jane Morgan, executive director of the Piedmont COVID Task Force, said in a recent interview that families should practice good hand hygiene, including washing hands with soap and running water for 20 seconds. She said the strict cleaning measures put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic helped prevent the spread of monkeypox.

Also, encourage children who live with adults in high-risk groups for monkeypox to be vaccinated against monkeypox. It’s the best thing a person can do to protect another person.”

Nearly all cases so far have occurred among men who have had sex with men, according to the CDC, but health officials stress that anyone can get monkeypox. Health officials also say the virus could start spreading more widely.

The monkeypox virus is much less contagious than the coronavirus because it is spread primarily by prolonged skin-to-skin contact. Touching anything that has previously come in contact with an infectious rash or bodily fluids is a one-way spread of monkeypox, but DPH said in a statement: It has not been identified as a significant or common route of transmission in this outbreak or monkeypox generally.