White House, CDC issue new monkeypox guidance

(NewsNation) — The CDC launched a new landing page for colleges and universities Thursday, as students across the U.S. start back to school for the fall semester.

The effort comes as members of the White House monkeypox and COVID-19 response teams, along with CDC representatives, met virtually with over 1,000 higher education officials across the country to discuss how best to curb the spread of these infectious diseases this semester.

“Federal officials offered practical guidance on how to keep higher education institutions safe this fall, including strategies colleges can use to identify and stop the spread of Monkeypox, and answered questions on how to respond to incidents of Monkeypox and communicate clearly to students on vaccines, testing, and treatments,”  the White House said in a press release Thursday.

The virtual meeting also reinforced the need for staff to encourage students to remain boosted and discussed plans on how best to facilitate vaccines this upcoming fall.

So far, the monkeypox virus has reached all 50 states, with Wyoming becoming the final state in the country to report a case of the virus Monday.

However, the number of monkeypox cases reported globally dropped 21% in the last week, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

The number is a reversal of the monthlong trend of rising infections and signals that Europe’s outbreak may be starting to decline.

Some practices the CDC references for safe sex during the current outbreak include:

• Take a temporary break from sex until two weeks after your second monkeypox dose.
• Limit your number of sex partners to reduce the likelihood of exposure.
• Avoid kissing or exchanging spit since monkeypox can spread this way.
• Have virtual sex with no in-person contact.
• Be aware that monkeypox can also spread through respiratory secretions with close, face-to-face contact.
• Remember to wash your hands, fetish gear, sex toys, and any fabrics (bedding, towels, clothes) after having sex. Learn more about infection control.