Home United States USA — Cinema Monkeypox in children: Everything to know about symptoms, vaccines and treatments

Monkeypox in children: Everything to know about symptoms, vaccines and treatments

114
0
SHARE

Array
As monkeypox cases climb in the United States and children prepare to return to school, some parents worry that the outbreak could reach their little ones in class.
On Friday, Illinois health officials announced dozens of children may have been exposed to the monkeypox virus after a day care worker tested positive outside Champaign, Illinois. No other cases have been reported at the facility, but all adults and children were being screened, according to a statement.
As of Aug. 3, there have been only two pediatric infections out of the more than 9,400 monkeypox cases reported in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s everything parents should know about the virus and what to do if their child gets infected. Can kids get monkeypox? 
The vast majority of cases have occurred in adult men who have sex with men, experts say, but there are signs the virus may branch out of this community.  
It’s possible, and even expected, to see infections in children, health experts say. But it won’t be as common as other viruses.
“We’re not expecting that childcare settings and schools will see rampant monkeypox infections run through kids,” said Dr. Ibukan Kalu, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Duke School of Medicine and a medical director of pediatric infection prevention at Duke University Medical Center. “But it is possible for children to get infected.”
The World Health Organization and CDC said children are more prone to develop severe disease or complications from monkeypox compared with teens and adults, particularly those under 8 years old.Monkeypox symptoms in children
Monkeypox symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure, according to the CDC. They include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle aches and backache, headache, respiratory symptoms, and a rash, according to the CDC.
During the current outbreak in adults, the rash has often been located on or near the genitals or anus, but it can also appear on other areas, such as the hands, feet, chest, face or mouth.

Continue reading...