Monkey pox: First confirmed case in France in a child attending school in the Paris region

This had never happened in France before. A first confirmed case of monkey pox, also called Monkeypox, has been reported in a child attending primary school in Île-de-France, reports the Regional Health Agency. He was taken care of and shows no signs of seriousness.

The ARS Île-de-France and the teams of Public Health France, which indicate that they “immediately began the investigations in order to trace the chain of contacts of the child as quickly as possible”, have already identified a probable case, within the same sibling. Measures have been taken with National Education and a message has been sent to the parents of children who are at-risk contacts at the school attended by the child. In particular, it invites the parents concerned to monitor the appearance of symptoms, such as fever or rashes.

A risk of transmission assessed as “low”.

This is the first confirmed case of Monkeypox in a child in France. Until now, the virus had mainly affected young adults, with mild symptoms. But it can also affect children in a family setting, recalls the Regional Health Agency. “This is the case in some countries where this virus is endemic and where transmission can occur through close contact with a person who shows signs of the disease”, indicates the health authority. The risk of transmission for the entire population is assessed as “low”.

France had 330 confirmed cases of infection with the monkeypox virus on Thursday, according to health authorities. A first infected woman, who reported having had contact with a partner with a rash, had just been identified in France.