Rancho Cotate High student tests positive for monkeypox

A Rancho Cotate High School student has tested positive this week for monkeypox.

The positive determination was announced Thursday afternoon in an email to parents of students in the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District.

The student is quarantined at home and hasn’t been to class this week, Superintendent Mayra Perez said in the email, which was obtained by The Press Democrat.

Reached later Thursday, Perez verified the email’s authenticity but declined to provide specifics about the student. She would say only that the student’s parents notified school officials Thursday.

Crews have cleansed and sanitized areas in the school where the student is believed to have been.

“Student safety is our top priority and we appreciate your support as we work together to ensure all our students and staff have healthy and safe learning environments,” Perez said in the email.

It adds that school district officials are working with the California Department of Public Health to identify how and where the student contracted monkeypox. County health officials also were notified.

There have been 32 suspected or confirmed cases of monkeypox in Sonoma County, according to the county Department of Health Services.

It is typically spread from person to person via direct contact with infected areas or body fluids, respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact or intimate physical contact.

Infection also may occur after touching clothing that was previously in contact with an infected area or fluids.

Symptoms of monkeypox include: Fever, headache, muscle and backaches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. The person also develops a rash that resembles pimples or blisters on various parts of their body, including inside the mouth.

The illness typically lasts two to four weeks, according to the Department of Health Services.

Press Democrat reporter Martin Espinoza contributed to this story

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi