Class is back in session at Tennessee colleges, and while most have relaxed COVID-era restrictions, cases of a different virus could emerge on campus this semester: monkeypox.
Dr. William Schaffner with Vanderbilt University Medical Center says schools need to educate about the virus, and build trust.
“So letting students know about the rash, what it looks like. Showing them some pictures. And then assuring them if they go to the student health service, they will be treated confidentially and appropriately.”
Schaffner points out that even though monkeypox is rare and not as contagious as the coronavirus, there’s still opportunities for it to spread on a college campus. Sharing a dorm room, hookups and even contact sports could create pathways for the virus to spread.
There is a vaccine for monkeypox, but Schaffner says right now its availability is limited.
“As vaccine against monkeypox becomes more widely available, the colleges can reach out to local health departments and perhaps be a location where they can provide the vaccine to students who are interested in receiving it.”
Schools like MTSU and Vanderbilt say students can go to their health centers to get tested.
Vanderbilt has a website dedicated to its monkeypox response. It includes a section of frequently asked questions and links to public health resources. The university says it will provide a place to isolate if students who live on campus contract the virus.
Meanwhile, MTSU directs students with questions to its health center or to the CDC website. A spokesperson says the university is not doing special outreach about monkeypox at this time, but continues to monitor the situation and remain in contact with local public health agencies. In a statement, a spokesperson says, “As with the flu, mononucleosis, and COVID, students who will need to isolate if a monkeypox case is identified, will be expected to go home or isolate off campus.”
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