The University of Delaware has identified its first case of monkeypox.
The case was identified Wednesday and involves an employee who is now isolating and recovering at home, the university said in a press release. The school said it emailed faculty, staff and students about the presence of the virus on campus.
The university’s fall semester begins Aug. 30, with student move-in taking place this upcoming weekend. The school says it has around 23,600 enrolled students.
University policies indicate that students who are diagnosed with monkeypox must isolate “until they are no longer contagious and all scabs/lesions have resolved and new skin has grown (which can take 2-4 weeks).”
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The students must return home during their quarantine period but are advised to reach out to their RA if they can’t.
There were 19 confirmed monkeypox infections in Delaware as of Aug. 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Total infections in the U.S., meanwhile, were at 16,603.
Delaware offers vaccines to those who have been exposed to the virus or are at a high risk of exposure. Vaccine appointments are available through Beebe Healthcare or through Delaware Division of Public Health clinics. People are asked to call 866-408-1899 for a screening evaluation through the DPH.
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Monkeypox spreads through “close, personal, often skin-to-skin” contact, including touching objects, fabrics and surfaces used by someone infected with the virus, according to the CDC. The virus presents itself as a rash and causes symptoms like fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes and muscle aches. Many in the outbreak have developed extremely painful zit-like bumps.
The CDC has said monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection and that its spread through sex is a biproduct of the skin-to-skin contact that happens during intercourse. However, new research suggests that sex between men could be a driver of infections, particularly through seminal fluids exchanged during oral and anal intercourse.
About 98% of U.S. cases are men and about 93% were men who reported recent sexual contact with other men. However, the CDC warns that the virus can also infect women and can spread through vaginal contact, and that anyone can be infected, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
One of the steps officials are suggesting to prevent spread of the virus is temporarily limiting the number of one’s sexual partners. The CDC also recommends disinfecting surfaces.
There have been no reported monkeypox deaths in the U.S.
