Back To School: Covid Is Still Lurking And Now Monkey Pox

Besides the typical back to school planning and shopping, there’s still concern about Covid-19 and  a new worry…MonkeyPox.

Back to school stress for parents this year includes all the normal items: when is back to school night, who is taking the kids for new shoes, where did we put that school supply list! 

Add to that, TWO infectious diseases that are present in the community. 

 Dr. Amy Person, the Benton, Franklin, and Klickitat County Health Officer, tries to reassure parents. 

“So I think going back to school in some respects, is going to look more similar to how things did pre-Covid but we’re going to have to be prepared that if another variant comes around that we may see outbreaks popping up in different places, so that may impact kids being in school.”

Covid is still increasing in many counties across Washington and the health department continues to monitor waste water as most people are not getting tested like they did last year. 

Now there’s also MonkeyPox or MPV. With almost 200 cases in the state and classified as a public health emergency by the CDC, there are concerns with kids being crowded onto buses and into classrooms again. 

 “We’re not really seeing it being spread by the types of fomites or surfaces that we were worried about with covid. The risks are really going to be around people who are spending or long periods of time around, someone who has monkeypox.”

With MPV or MonkeyPox, prolonged skin to skin contact with an infected person is how it is spread. 

Dr. Person reminds people to stay home if they are sick and get vaccinated to prevent serious sickness.