Dr. Ranit Mishori
The U.S. has the world’s largest outbreak of monkeypox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The country’s first case was confirmed May 17. The number of confirmed U.S. cases had reached more than 14,000 as of Aug. 19. Globally, the number of cases surpassed 41,000.
In August, the medical websites WedMD and STAT reported that at least five universities in the U.S. had confirmed cases of the virus among members of their campus communities over the summer, specifically Georgetown University and George Washington University, both in Washington, D.C.; the University of Texas at Austin; and Bucknell and West Chester universities in Pennsylvania.
More cases were confirmed by Penn State, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) — an historically Black institution — and American University (AU) in Washington, D.C. Health officials at the schools handled notification to their campus communities in disparate ways, ranging from bold campus-wide emails and website announcements to statements buried deep within notices about COVID-19 or other health advisories.
“Last week, we identified the first presumptive cases of monkeypox in the AU community,” Dr. David S. Reitman, medical director of AU’s Student Health Center, wrote in an Aug. 8 email to the campus, which he shared with Diverse. “The individuals, who live off campus, are isolating and recovering well, and we are providing support.” Although his letter used the plural, Reitman told Diverse via email Aug. 22 that only one case had been confirmed.
Leeann Hall, UDC’s vice president for marketing and communications, provided Diverse with the latest COVID-19 and monkeypox updates, which included the notification that “the University has recently confirmed one Monkeypox case among our population. The individual experienced no symptoms the last date they were on campus; however, we have extensively cleaned and disinfected the area.”
Mounting cases
