Taylor Moore
Social Media Editor
If cases of monkeypox arise on campus, the University has safety measures in place to protect the health of the students and faculty.
Juan Regalado, chief student affairs officer, said that if someone displays symptoms of the virus, the University will urge them to stay home and contact their health care provider or the Student Health Center on campus.
Additionally, the University has isolation rooms that have already been prepared to prevent the spread of COVID and can now be used to stop the spread of monkeypox if need be.
Regalado said that University officials meet with the Los Angeles County Public Health Department about once a month to go over COVID safety protocols, and these meetings have begun to include discussion of monkeypox as well.
“We’re not going to put our head in the sand,” Regalado said. “We’re going to continue to watch, monitor and meet with L.A. County Public Health and stay current.”
In May the first case of monkeypox was confirmed in the United Kingdom.
Since then it has spread to many countries, including the United States which has a current case count of roughly 17,000.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection from the monkeypox virus, similar to smallpox. While the symptoms are similar, monkeypox is more mild and rarely fatal.
According to the University of La Verne’s health website, the disease primarily spreads through skin to skin contact, often involving open skin, such as a cut or a sore. Monkeypox has also been known to spread through sexual contact, though it is not considered a sexually transmitted disease.
“It’s a lot harder to transmit (than COVID),” Regalado said. “I think the biggest thing to know and remember is that because of COVID, we are probably in a really good place… at being able to manage any possible monkeypox cases or infections.”
Many of the first symptoms of monkeypox are the same as COVID, such as a cold, fever, body aches, sore throat, headache, cough and nasal congestion. However, when it comes to monkeypox, the main symptoms to watch out for are sores and rashes.
Unlike COVID, there is not a possibility for someone to be asymptomatic with the monkeypox virus.
For more information about monkeypox, visit cdc.gov or the University’s health website.
Taylor Moore can be reached at taylor.moore@laverne.edu.
Taylor Moore is a junior broadcast journalism major and LV Life editor for Spring 2023. In her fourth semester on Campus Times, this is her second time serving as LV Life editor. She has also served as social media editor and staff writer.
