Notes from Nurse Lexi: October Updates

Aidan Families,

The health and safety of the Aidan community is important to us, and while much of our communication over the past few years has focused on COVID, we want to share some resources with our families regarding Monkeypox.

At this time, Monkeypox does not seem to significantly impact our school-aged children. However, DC DOH has a great deal of information on their website, and they have provided guidelines for schools and childcare facilities to follow, in both English and Spanish. Another great resource, that was made specifically for parents by KidsHealth and is recommended by OSSE, can be found here. 

Preventative Measures

Luckily, a lot of the preventative measures for Monkeypox are ones that we have already mastered throughout the COVID pandemic. Preventative measures include: getting vaccinated if you are at high risk of contracting the virus, staying home when sick, using proper hand hygiene, reaching out to your doctor about any rashes that arise, and isolating if one has a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of Monkeypox.

Monkeypox Symptoms & Isolation Procedures

Symptoms of Monkeypox include: fever, headache, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash. While Monkeypox is rarely life threatening, symptoms can be painful and unpleasant.

If you suspect that someone in your family might have Monkeypox, please reach out to a healthcare provider to determine if they should be tested and treated for Monkeypox. It is important to note that one can only be tested for Monkeypox if they have a rash. Additionally, please let the school know about any suspected cases in your family, as we need to report it promptly to DC DOH.

For those who have a suspected or confirmed case of Monkeypox, they should isolate themselves at home. More information about isolation from the CDC can be found here. In order to return to school after a diagnosis of Monkeypox, all sores should be healed, the scabs should have fallen off, and a fresh layer of skin needs to have formed.

Suspected or Confirmed Case of Monkeypox at School

If there is a suspected or confirmed case of Monkeypox in the school, I will report it to DC DOH, and await their instructions.

In the meantime, that person will be sent home to consult their doctor and isolate. The areas in which the person spent time will be deep cleaned by our cleaning crew overnight. Any linens that were used by that person will be laundered. Any persons interacting with the person suspected of having Monkeypox will be given personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, gowns, masks, face shields, etc. when dealing with contaminated items (linens, eating utensils, diapers, tissues, etc.)

The school will send out an all-school announcement if there is a case in our community.

Close Contacts

For those who are considered close contacts of someone diagnosed with Monkeypox, please reach out to your healthcare provider to express the nature of this exposure, as they may recommend getting the Monkeypox vaccine. After exposure, there is no need to quarantine. The close contact should monitor themselves for 21 days for any symptoms that may arise. Parents of children who are not able to reliably self-monitor should take the child’s temperature each morning and do a head-to-toe body scan to determine if there are any new rashes or sores/ulcers in the mouth. 

Have any questions? Here is a link to the CDC’s frequently asked questions about Monkeypox. If you have any other questions after consulting the links in this document, please feel free to reach out to me!

Stay well,

Nurse Lexi