A case of the monkeypox virus has been confirmed at a high school in Fort Worth ISD, the district announced Friday.
The case involves someone at Arlington Heights High School, but it’s unclear whether the person infected is a student or an employee.
The district said it began sanitizing the school immediately to help curb the spread of the virus, and encouraged parents to monitor their children for 21 days to see if they develop symptoms.
Monkeypox, a disease caused by a viral infection, causes symptoms similar to the eradicated smallpox virus.
Infected people typically develop flu-like symptoms after getting infected, followed by a rash that looks like pimples or blisters that usually starts on the face and spreads elsewhere. The disease lasts about two to four weeks.
While the disease is spread through close contact, particularly skin-to-skin contact with lesions or body fluids, it is not a sexually transmitted disease.
Monkeypox vaccinations are available in Tarrant County, and currently only recommended for people who have been directly exposed to the virus and those at a moderate to high risk of contracting it.
