
Monkeypox is rare in children, but K-12 schools are preparing for possible cases
CNN
An elementary student in Georgia has tested positive for monkeypox, raising questions about how concerned schools should be about the small risk of the virus spreading among children as they head back to class.
Monkeypox risk is low for school-age children. As of Thursday, more than 16,000 people in the United States have confirmed or probable monkeypox infections, and almost all are in adults. But as classrooms reopen this fall, K-12 schools across the United States are on alert for possible cases.
"They're keeping a close eye on it in their states and they're paying attention to what their governor and their state departments of health are saying -- and they're keeping it on their radar," Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director of advocacy and governance for the School Superintendents Association, told CNN.