Breaking News
Monkeypox Case Reported Within Boston Public School Community
A person connected to Boston Public Schools has contracted monkeypox, local families were informed on Monday.
According to a report by Boston 25 News, a letter bearing the said information has been circulated around the school community.
In the letter, Dr. Drew Echelson, the Acting Superintendent, and Mary Skipper, the Incoming Superintendent, wrote, “An adult member of our BPS community has been diagnosed with monkeypox.”
As per reports, the school system has worked closely with the Boston Public Police Health Commission. Additionally, it has worked closely with the affected individual to identify and notify people who have been exposed to the virus, officials said.
Mayor Michelle Wu was asked about the situation, and in response, she stopped short of pinpointing the said staff member, citing concerns about privacy, as per the Boston 25 News report.
“While this may be difficult to process, especially after the last several school years, we want you to know that we are here for you. We assure you that we are doing everything to ensure the health and safety of all of our schools,” Echelson and Skipper also wrote.
The officials didn’t mention which school the person works in, but they did inform families that, if they didn’t receive a call or any other form of notification from their children’s school, they are not impacted.
“The health and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority. We are following the guidance provided by local, state, and federal health officials and actively working with our partners at the Boston Public Health Commission. We remain deeply committed to transparency and are taking all necessary precautions. We encourage everyone to visit boston.gov/monkeypox to learn more about monkeypox,” the district said in a statement released to NBC10 Boston.
Around 23,500 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the country as part of the current outbreak. One death has been linked to the virus.
Boston saw its first case of the virus in May, and it was the first case in the U.S. of the outbreak.
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