Dear Members of the Georgetown University Community:
I’m writing to inform you about a presumptive case of monkeypox in a Georgetown community member living off campus near the Main Campus. The individual is currently in isolation and doing well, and we are providing support and resources. Anyone who was in recent contact with the individual and identified through contact tracing has been notified and will be monitored by the DC Department of Health (DC Health) or the University’s Public Health team. We are working closely with DC Health and the University’s infectious disease experts.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. It does not spread easily between people without close contact (e.g., direct physical contact with the infectious rash, including during intimate contact such as kissing, cuddling, or sex).
The risk of contracting this infection is very low for those who have been in casual, rather than close, contact with an infected individual (e.g., being in the same room). No severe disease or deaths have been linked to this outbreak in the United States at this time.
Symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.
If you develop symptoms consistent with monkeypox, please contact the Student Health Center, if a student, or your primary care provider, if a faculty or staff member, and email Georgetown’s Public Health team at carenavigators@georgetown.edu if you have any questions or concerns.
We will continue to monitor public health conditions on our campuses and provide updates as needed.
Sincerely,
Ranit Mishori, M.D., MHS, FAAFP
Professor of Family Medicine, Vice President and Chief Public Health Officer