Parents concerned as more children test positive for monkeypox
Two Houston schools confirm cases of monkeypox, worrying parents.
HOUSTON – More children are testing positive for monkey poxleaving some parents concerned about their children’s safety at school.
IDEA Hardy Charter School in the north houston Y Ridge Point High School in Fort Bend County they are two of the last to each confirm a case of monkeypox.
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IDEA Hardy parents told FOX 26 that there were many vehicles coming and going when the moms and dads pulled up, because some say they were unable to get through on the phone after hearing on the news that a student at the school was killed. had diagnosed the rare disease.
“I called here over 10 times. No answer. I called the board. No answer,” says Ronicka Martin, whose four children attend IDEA.
After arriving at the school, Martin says he was told that only parents whose children were in class with the child who had monkeypox would be notified.
PLUS: The University of Houston explains its plan in case Monkeypox cases are reported on campus
Depending on the state, monkeypox is most often spread through skin-to-skin contact and by touching objects, fabrics, or surfaces used by someone with the disease. People with the disease often experience painful symptoms, which can include a blister-like rash.
IDEA released a statement saying, in part, that the school is working closely with the Harris County Public Health Department to identify and offer guidance to anyone who may have been exposed, “IDEA Hardy staff conducted a cleanup depth of all spaces”.
Still, Martin chose to keep his children at home.
“At this point, I just didn’t feel safe about my kids coming here,” says Martin.
Fort Bend ISD released a statement confirming a positive case of monkeypox at Ridge Point High School and says the district has contacted the county health department and “cleaning and disinfection continues at all FBISD campuses for the prevention of any infectious disease in all schools and facilities … (using) disinfectants that have been proven effective by the Environmental Protection Agency against monkeypox.”
In its statement, the district added that monkeypox symptoms typically begin within three weeks of exposure and that the best way to prevent the virus is to avoid close contact and wash hands frequently.
RELATED: Harris County jail’s first inmate tested positive for monkeypox, sheriff says
Houston ISD has not had any confirmed cases of monkeypox.
There are nine confirmed cases of children with monkeypox in Texas out of a total of 1,598 people in the state who have tested positive. While that’s the statewide total, in the Houston region, including several surrounding counties, there are 661 confirmed cases of monkeypox.
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