JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Back to school is here and so are concerns over monkeypox.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists Florida as number three in the nation for highest cases.
Despite this data, Dr. Jeffrey Goldhagen with UF Health Jacksonville says parents should not panic.
“They should relatively have little concern. What we know today about monkeypox is that it is spread primarily through intimate contact in particular through sexual contact,” said Goldhagen.
There are 633 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Florida.
According to the Florida Department of Health, Duval County has seven confirmed cases.
“At this point in time what we know is that in fact children in schools should be at relatively low very very low risk,” said Goldhagen.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says children make up less than 0.1% of confirmed monkeypox cases. As of Aug. 3, it has confirmed two pediatric cases nationwide.
Dr. Goldhagen says parents should focus on protecting children from coronavirus instead.
“We are still dealing with the COVID pandemic. So please consider vaccinating your children,” said Goldhagen.