LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — The first confirmed case of monkeypox in an Arkansas school was recently detected in the Little Rock School District at Southwest High School.
There have been a lot of questions surrounding the case, and parents have wondered if they should be concerned for their kids.
Because of privacy concerns, the district could not give out any other details about the confirmed case— but we broke down the demographics of cases in Arkansas and what you should look out for if you become exposed.
On Thursday afternoon, LRSD sent a letter out to Southwest students, staff, and parents that stated that there was one confirmed case of monkeypox.
They went on to say that those exposed were notified, but no other information was given about the case due to privacy concerns.
According to the Arkansas Department of Health's website, there are 50 cases of monkeypox in the state— thirty of those were in Pulaski County.
There are 4 people between the ages of 18-24 with the disease. The age group with the highest infection rate was between the ages of 25-34 with 19 cases.
LRSD and the ADH have been working closely together to monitor the infection.
Anyone who had "low-risk" exposure to the infected person was notified with directions on what to look out for.
CDC defined low-risk exposure as entering a room or space where a person with monkeypox has been, regardless of whether the infected person was there.
According to the ADH, a person who has exposure should monitor symptoms for 21 days after their last encounter with the infected person.
Monkeypox can spread through contact with a rash, scabs, or body fluid. It can also spread from the time symptoms start until the rash has healed.
Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle or back aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters.
The illness typically lasts 2 to 4 weeks.
Right now in Arkansas, 47 of the cases are men, 1 is a woman, and 2 of the cases do not have any data.