3 Georgia Children Diagnosed With Monkeypox: Report

GEORGIA — Three school-age children in Georgia have been diagnosed with monkeypox, according to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The children, one of whom attends a Newton County elementary school, did not contract the illness at school but rather through home transmission, state Department of Public Health officials told the newspaper.

Nearly 17,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the United States as of Thursday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Georgia has the fifth-most confirmed cases in the country with 1,240.

The vast majority of confirmed cases are in men. Only 17 people under the age of 16 have tested positive for the virus as of Sunday, according to the CDC.

In Georgia, the monkeypox vaccine has been administered to more than 16,000 people, and nearly 2,000 people have received both doses, according to WSB-TV Atlanta.

Monkeypox spreads through close, often skin-to-skin contact. A rash is the most common symptom, but flu-like symptoms also are possible, according to health officials.

Symptoms typically start within three weeks of exposure and usually lasts two to four weeks. Once symptoms show, the illness can be spread until the rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of skin has formed, according to the CDC.