PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia-area colleges and universities are taking steps to educate students about monkeypox and handle cases as they arise, including screenings, treatments and information on how and where to isolate if needed.
At Temple University where classes are already underway, students who think they have been exposed to monkeypox should call Student Health Services to get screened. The university will work with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
Dr. Thomas Trojian, Assistant Clinical Director at Temple Student Health, said they are educating students to make decisions based on common sense, as monkeypox is spread through close intimate contact.
“If you’re going to be intimate with somebody, make sure that they’re not sick recently, and that they have no lesions and are healthy,” said Trojian.
“If you’re not healthy, hold off on having sex with someone and get treated.”
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Isolation time for someone with monkeypox can run as long as four weeks, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Temple University urges students to have four weeks of isolation if needed.
“If you can go home, we recommend you go home,” said Dr. Trojian.
“If you can’t go home and you live off-campus, then stay isolated off-campus. If you can’t isolate, we’ll work with you and student housing here to get isolated.”
Students return to Rutgers-Camden on Sept. 6. Campus Director of Community Engagement Rebecca Bryan said they’ve sent out mailings to students so they’ll know the facts and what to look out for. They are also working with the State of New Jersey.
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“We are going to direct those at high risk to the New Jersey Department of Health which is rolling out a vaccine plan, and they are currently available at Cooper (University Hospital) which is right around the corner from our university,” said Bryan.
“I know that we would do the best we could do to support a student on campus, but in all likelihood, we would encourage them to go home because it is a long time. Four weeks is a haul.”
At Drexel University, where classes begin Sept. 19, students are urged to call the Student Health Center and ask for a telemedicine appointment for monkeypox assessments. If someone is exposed to someone with monkeypox, they should also call the Philadelphia Department of Public Health at 215.685.5488 to report this exposure.
The University of Delaware reported its first case of monkeypox last week.
In Philadelphia, the city reported 70 new cases of monkeypox last week, bringing the total here to 327 since tracking began.
