Information About hMPXV (Monkeypox)
Information About hMPXV (monkeypox) for School Communities
You may have heard about hMPXV (monkeypox) and have concerns for how it may impact your school community as we start the 2022-2023 school year. There have been a small number of cases in children across the country, including in Oregon. Parents may be concerned, as we all now have a heightened attention and emotional reaction to infectious diseases.
With our current knowledge of how hMPXV is spread, we believe schools will be low-risk settings for transmission. Multnomah County Public Health would like to share our current understanding and guidance for hMPXV as it relates to children and schools.
What is hMPXV?
hMPXV (the human version of monkeypox) is a rash illness caused by a virus related to, but different from, smallpox. hMPXV is much harder to catch, and it is not as severe as smallpox. Almost everyone recovers in 2-4 weeks without treatment.
Local information
The first case of hMPXV was confirmed in Oregon on June 16, 2022. There have been 89 known cases in Oregon as of August 8, 2022. Almost all of the cases in Oregon have been men above the age of 20, most in their 30s.
Children and hMPXV
The first pediatric case of monkeypox in Oregon was confirmed on August 17, 2022. For privacy, the age, county, and other details about pediatric cases are not being disclosed.
We know that children under 8, children with eczema and other skin conditions, and children with immunocompromising conditions may be at increased risk of severe disease when they contract monkeypox.
How is hMPXV spread?
Anyone can get hMPXV through very close contact with someone who is infected. It is not limited to one community or another. However, this virus is not spread as easily as COVID, measles, or chickenpox. hMPXV is spread primarily through close skin-to-skin contact with someone’s sores.
Close contact with towels, clothing, or other objects used by someone with the virus can also spread the virus.
Unlike COVID-19, people with hMPXV can only spread the virus while they have symptoms or sores that have not completely healed.
For more information, please see the Oregon Health Authority's hMPXV website, which is regularly updated and includes evidence-based information about this illness.
