Monkeypox Campus Updates

Columbia College Chicago will update students, faculty, and staff regarding Monkeypox cases and protocols as needed on this website. 

Reported Case Summary

• A case was reported to the college on September 13, 2022. 

Monkeypox Update

September 14, 2022

The college has been notified of the first reported on-campus case of Monkeypox (MPV). The impacted individual is in isolation. Contact tracing is being handled by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). The college has been in contact with both CDPH and Rush University Medical Center experts to assess the situation and respond accordingly. 

Notices of future on-campus cases, if any, will be posted on this site (www.colum.edu/mpv).

If you receive a positive diagnosis, we ask that you report it to the college. While providing this information is voluntary, it can greatly assist in coordinating with CDPH and allow for potential cleaning of college spaces if necessary. Moreover, it allows close contacts an opportunity to get vaccinated as soon as possible, which can lessen their chances of getting sick or getting severely sick. 

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), MPV is a rare disease. While MPV is painful, it rarely requires hospitalization and is very rarely fatal. However, some individuals are more at risk and should be especially mindful of published precautions. MPV spreads through close or intimate contact. For more information, visit the CDPH Monkeypox website.

People who suspect they have Monkeypox should isolate and contact a medical professional immediately to seek testing. 

Do not come to campus (i.e., do not come to class or come to work) if you have  a rash or skin lesions on your body or inside your mouth, and seek medical attention.  

Rashes and lesions may appear different from person to person, so it is best to consult a medical professional and get tested to rule out MPV before returning to campus and isolate until you have test results. Visit the CDC website for listed symptoms.

Close Contacts 

Monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact. More details about transmission can be found on the CDC website..

What to do if you are a close contact 

• If you are notified you are a close contact of someone with MPV, you should contact a healthcare professional and/or get tested immediately if you have symptoms.
• If you are asymptomatic, you should monitor yourself closely for symptoms. 
• Close contacts should consider seeking a vaccine immediately as a vaccine could prevent a close contact from developing MPV or from having a more serious case of MPV, provided the vaccine is administered within 4 days after exposure. 
• Unless symptoms develop, close contacts are allowed to go to class and other activities. 
• Information on accessing MPV vaccines can be found on the CDPH MPV Vaccine website.

Prevention Measures 

Per health authorities, the following steps can help prevent MPV:  

• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like Monkeypox. Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with MPV. Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with MPV.
• Avoid contact with objects and materials that a person with MPV has used. Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with MPV. Do not handle, touch, or share the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with MPV.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating or touching your face and after you use the bathroom. 

What do I do if I have MPV or develop symptoms? 

While providing this information is voluntary, it can assist with the college’s response and coordination with CDPH. 

• Employees and students with a positive diagnosis: We ask that you contact the college by emailing securitycommand@colum.edu with your name, MyColumbia ID number, date of birth, contact information (phone and email address). 

MPV Frequently Asked Questions

• The CDC says MPV can spread through respiratory droplets. Does that mean I can get sick just from breathing the same air as someone with MPV?

  Per the CDC, the main way MPV spreads is through close physical contact--specifically, with MPV lesions on their body. 

  There are important differences between airborne transmission and transmission via respiratory secretions. Airborne transmission occurs when small virus particles become suspended in the air and can stay there for periods of time. These particles can spread on air currents, or sometimes even infect people who enter a room after the infected person has left. 

  In contrast, monkeypox may be found in droplets like saliva or respiratory secretions that drop out of the air quickly. Long range (e.g., airborne) transmission of monkeypox has not been reported.

• Is there a contact tracing process for monkeypox cases on campus?

  Contact tracing is being handled by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). If you receive a positive diagnosis, we ask that you report it to the college. While providing this information is voluntary, it can greatly assist in coordinating with CDPH and allow for potential cleaning of college spaces if necessary. Moreover, it allows close contacts an opportunity to get vaccinated as soon as possible, which can lessen their chances of getting sick or getting severely sick.  
  
  Employees and students with a positive diagnosis: We ask that you contact the college by emailing securitycommand@colum.edu with your name, MyColumbia ID number, date of birth, contact information (phone and email address). 

• Will I contract monkeypox if I was in the same classroom or building as a person who tested positive for MPV?

  Close, intimate skin-to-skin contact is the main way MPV spreads. CDC does mention "respiratory secretions" as a means of spread, and this has made some students, faculty and staff nervous that MPV could spread in a classroom the way COVID might. There is no risk of airborne spread in a classroom, for example, like there might be with COVID.  

  As CDC has stipulated, “There are important differences between airborne transmission and transmission via respiratory secretions. Airborne transmission occurs when small virus particles become suspended in the air and can stay there for periods of time. These particles can spread on air currents, or sometimes even infect people who enter a room after the infected person has left. In contrast, monkeypox may be found in droplets like saliva or respiratory secretions that drop out of the air quickly. Long range (e.g., airborne) transmission of monkeypox has not been reported.” 

• What should I do if I have Monkeypox symptoms?

  People who suspect they have Monkeypox should isolate and contact a medical professional immediately to seek testing.  

  Do not come to campus (i.e., do not come to class or come to work) if you have a rash or skin lesions on your body or inside your mouth, and seek medical attention.   

  Rashes and lesions may appear different from person to person, so it is best to consult a medical professional and get tested to rule out MPV before returning to campus and isolate until you have test results. Visit the CDC website for listed symptoms. 

• What should I do if I am a close contact of someone who was diagnosed with monkeypox?

  Monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact. More details about transmission can be found on the CDC website. The incubation period for monkeypox is 3-17 days. During this time, a person may not have symptoms and may feel fine. If contracted and symptoms develop, the illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

  • If you are notified you are a close contact of someone with MPV, you should contact a healthcare professional and/or get tested immediately if you have symptoms. 
  • If you are asymptomatic, you should monitor yourself closely for symptoms.  
  • Close contacts should consider seeking a vaccine immediately as a vaccine could prevent a close contact from developing MPV or from having a more serious case of MPV, provided the vaccine is administered within 4 days after exposure.  
  • Unless symptoms develop, close contacts are allowed to go to class and other activities.  
  • Information on accessing MPV vaccines can be found on the CDPH MPV Vaccine website. 
• I am concerned about contracting Monkeypox. How I do prevent myself from getting it?

  Per health authorities, the following steps can help prevent MPV:   

  • Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like Monkeypox. Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with MPV. Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with MPV. 
  • Avoid contact with objects and materials that a person with MPV has used. Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with MPV. Do not handle, touch, or share the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with MPV. 
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating or touching your face and after you use the bathroom. 
• What does “direct contact” mean?

  The main way MPV spreads is through direct contact, which is defined by CDC per below; in a way that clearly does not apply to our classrooms or college workspaces:  

  “Monkeypox can spread from person to person through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, fluid from sores or saliva. It also can be spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex.”  

  The CDC defines “direct contact” as follows:  

  • Oral, anal, and vaginal sex or touching the genitals (penis, testicles, labia, and vagina) or anus (butthole) of a person with monkeypox.  
  • Hugging, massage, and kissing.  
  • Prolonged face-to-face contact.  
  • Touching fabrics and objects during sex that were used by a person with monkeypox and that have not been disinfected, such as bedding, towels, fetish gear, and sex toys.  
• Where can I get tested for monkeypox?

  If you are notified you are a close contact of someone with MPV you should contact a healthcare professional and/or get tested immediately if you have symptoms. 

• Where can I get a vaccine for the monkeypox virus?
  Information on accessing MPV vaccines can be found on the CDPH MPV Vaccine website. 
• Will the college be implementing new guidance for students, faculty, and staff?
  There is no additional guidance at this time.