New Hampshire health officials announced Friday the first confirmed case of monkeypox in a child in New Hampshire. The unidentified child has mild symptoms and is in home isolation, officials said. Getting vaccinated “The monkeypox virus is spread primarily through direct physical contact with monkeypox patients who develop contagious skin lesions,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan. I’m here. “Our public health team is working to identify people who may have been exposed to the virus so we can correlate it with vaccination, but the risk to the general school population and community is Very low.” Health officials said they are working with your child’s school to conduct contact tracing to identify other people who may have had direct physical contact or prolonged face-to-face contact. said. Anyone identified as having had close contact with a child will be contacted by a public health investigator, monitored for symptoms, and encouraged to receive the JYNNEOS vaccine to help prevent post-exposure transmission. Because monkeypox is usually spread through direct physical contact with a symptomatic person, the risk of transmission is considered low. Experts say it can be spread by respiratory droplets, but it’s only spread by prolonged face-to-face contact over hours. Other symptoms of monkeypox include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes. People with monkeypox spread the infection from the time symptoms first appear and remain contagious until the rash is completely healed and a new layer of skin forms. People without symptoms of monkeypox are not considered contagious or at risk to others. As of August 31, there were at least 31 pediatric monkeypox cases in the United States.
The first pediatric case of monkeypox has been confirmed in New Hampshire, state health officials said Friday.
Authorities said a Manchester child became infected after coming into contact with a household contact who had monkeypox. The unidentified child has mild symptoms and is being quarantined at home, officials said.
>> Resources: monkeypox details | | get vaccinated
“The monkeypox virus is primarily spread through direct physical contact with a monkeypox patient who develops an infectious skin lesion,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan. “Our public health team is working to identify and connect people who may have been exposed to the virus to vaccination, but the risk to the general school population and community is very high. It is low.”
Authorities did not disclose the children’s ages or the schools they attended.
Health officials are working with your child’s school to conduct contact tracing to identify other people who may have had direct physical contact with your child while you were infected, or who may have had prolonged face-to-face contact. said there is.
Anyone found to have been in close contact with a child will be contacted by a public health investigator and advised to be on the lookout for symptoms and get the JYNNEOS vaccine to help prevent post-exposure transmission.
The general school community is considered to be at low risk of monkeypox infection because monkeypox is usually spread through direct physical contact with a symptomatic person, officials said. Experts say it can be spread by respiratory droplets, but only through prolonged face-to-face contact over hours.
People with monkeypox develop a distinctive rash that changes as the disease progresses and then slowly disappears over the next few weeks. Monkeypox rash is highly contagious. Other symptoms of monkeypox include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes. Some people just have a rash.
A person with monkeypox can spread the infection from the time symptoms first appear and remains contagious until the rash is completely healed and a new layer of skin forms. People without symptoms of monkeypox are not considered contagious or at risk to others.
As of August 31, there were at least 31 pediatric monkeypox cases in the United States.