College students have mixed reactions on monkeypox concerns as campuses prep for fall

Monkeypox mindfulness should be considered with college around the corner

Doctor Matthew Sims of Beaumont Health says the virus spreads by skin-to-skin contact. On college campuses, that could be through social events or intimate relationships, just to name a couple examples.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - It is no secret that college campuses all across the country are hotbeds for viruses and diseases. There have been cases of COVID-19, mumps/measles, and meningitis spread in these areas.

At the University of Michigan’s campus, students will be moving back in a couple weeks. We went to ask students if they were concerned about a potential outbreak of Monkeypox.

in recent weeks, we’ve seen Monkeypox cases climb in states — including Michigan.
and president joe biden declare it a public health emergency.

As colleges and universities work to move past the two-year toll from COVID-19 which left campuses looking like ghost towns, we asked several local schools about their plans to stop potential outbreaks of Monkeypox.

A statement from Eastern Michigan said: "We are pro-actively working to educate our campus community using specific communication strategy that provides monkeypox prevention information. Additionally, Eastern is addressing the potential for outbreak on campus and creating a plan to manage it, should one occur."

At Oakland University, the director and nurse practitioner of the school’s health center said: "We are continuing to assess the latest CDC and state of Michigan information and will make a determination of safety measures and how we proceed with educating the campus community closer to move-in date."

Students will be moving in at OU in about three weeks.

A spokesperson at Michigan State says it is following directions from the Ingham County Health Department and asking people to wash hands or see a doctor if they have symptoms.

At U-M, students have mixed feelings.

"Because all the Covid stuff I’m not that concerned, because I’ve already seen all the stuff they’ve done for Covid vaccinations, I kind of have faith everything it will probably be fine," said Kyle Kolick.

"It definitely does concern me because everyone has this mindset that Covid is over, everyone is coming back, and it’s like all over," said Trenton Michael. "I feel like people are going to be more readily reckless."

"I still think I’ll be carefully watching hands everything," said Anna Richards. "I think Covid prepared us for it."

U-M says it’s sharing information on spread and prevention of Monkeypox with the campus community ahead of the fall semester.

Doctor Matthew Sims of Beaumont Health says the virus spreads by skin-to-skin contact. On college campuses, that could be through social events or intimate relationships, just to name a couple of examples.

FOX 2: "Is it too soon to start worrying about the spread of Monkeypox on college campuses?"

"No," Sims said. "I think this is the exact right time to start worrying about it, to start thinking about it, and start planning for what to do."