An adult member of the Boston Public Schools community has tested positive for monkeypox, families were told Monday by school officials.
District officials didn’t specify which school was impacted or what role the person played in the community. The individual is reportedly isolating at home.
Mayor Michelle Wu says the Boston Public Health Commission is monitoring the situation closely.
“There was limited exposure and out of an abundance of precaution, vaccines have been administered and distributed to anyone who might have been even a little bit in contact there,” she said Monday at the end of a press conference to discuss the re-opening of the Orange Line train.
The impacted school has been cleaned and disinfected, BPS officials said.
In a letter to families, BPS officials said they were sharing the news about the diagnosis out of a commitment to transparency.
“In general, the risk of monkeypox transmission to the community remains very low,” officials said in the letter.
“While this may be difficult to process, especially after the last several school years, we want you to know that we are here for you. We assure you that we are doing everything to ensure the health and safety of all of our schools,” the letter added.
According to the Boston Public Health Commission, monkeypox spreads mostly through close sustained contact.