DC: Monkeypox preparations on GWU campus
(CNN) - "Now monkeypox is very visible so it was like this sort of looks very serious and scary."
It's back to school week for students at George Washington University (GWU), but they're on alert to protect their health.
As GWU requires COVID vaccinations and masks, students say they're just starting to learn about monkeypox.
"Sadly I think it will get bigger and worse so to prevent that we should all start taking it serious now and be more proactive," Alejandra Ramirez, GWU student, spoke.
Currently, there is no database of monkeypox cases at college nationwide, but cases have already been reported on campuses around the country, including one here at GWC.
Administrators notified students in June that a positive case had been identified, and that patient was isolated off campus.
"Especially being in a city, there are so many people that come in and out of buildings that arent even students its kind of nice to know were protecting each other," said Lindsay Thompson, another GWU student.
To be ahead of the curve, the school sent out guidance to students, recommending them to avoid close contact with skin, clothing, towels, or bedding of infected people.
In addition, they also asked if students working in health sciences to wear N95S masks and full protective gear when working with a monkeypox patient.
Lastly, the students are recommended to be vaccinated by DC health officials if they meet eligibility requirements, but as of now, there is not a vaccine available to everyone just yet.
However, students and parents say they're taking it in stride.
"I think pandemics are here to stay and well stay fully cautious and vaccinated and following guidelines and keep moving on," Stephanie Brown, a parent, says.
