McKinley Health Center

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Monkeypox (MPV) FAQ

As of August 9, 2022

Considering there are three confirmed cases of MPV in Champaign County, how is the university committed to reducing spread in and around campus? The University will provide clear, timely communication with the campus community regarding MPV risks and prevention measures. The University also encourages testing for symptomatic and exposed individuals. McKinley Health Center can provide vaccinations for exposed and high-risk contacts (currently facilitated through Champaign Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) due to shortages). Antiviral treatment will also be coordinated as needed with local hospitals and clinics.

Will there be testing sites for MPV on campus?
McKinley Health Center has the capability to test for MPV.

Are there any low- or no-cost MPV testing sites within a walking distance?
MPV testing can be done at the Champaign Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) and at local hospitals.
How long will MPV patients be required to quarantine?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends isolation of cases for up to 4 weeks. Quarantine for close contacts is 21 days from the date of exposure.

How will MPV patients be quarantined?
Each MPV case and close contact will be assessed for their needs based on contact tracing. This will be done in collaboration with the Champaign Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD). Isolation and quarantine determinations will be based on multiple factors including an assessment of current living conditions. If isolation or quarantine in place will not be feasible, the University will coordinate space with University Housing based on availability.

How is the university prepared for an outbreak?
McKinley Health Center is working closely with University leaders as well as local healthcare partners and the Champaign Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) to limit the spread of monkeypox in Champaign County. A working group comprised of individuals from these groups meets weekly to monitor the situation and address health issues in Champaign County. Plans are in place to scale a MPV response should it become necessary.

Will remote options be available for students who are in quarantine for MPV and/or for students quarantining for community health concerns?
The University is committed to helping students persist in their coursework when challenged by a health concern. Guidance concerning learning options will be shared with quarantined individuals.

Where will employees direct on-campus residents to if/when they contract or have symptoms of MPV?
McKinley Health Center will provide communications and resources to University Housing, crisis responders, and other campus stakeholders.

How will the university combat anti-LGBT hatred and backlash that is coming from the disinformation connected to MPV? How will the university be combatting disinformation about MPV as a whole?
The University wants to ensure we are keeping those currently most at risk informed, without stigmatizing them or letting others become complacent. Misinformation and disinformation are both detrimental to our community wide response efforts. We are actively engaging different stakeholders on campus including the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC), various sororities and fraternities, University Housing and Campustown bars and restaurants to offer targeted and appropriate educational messaging.

Monkeypox has been incorrectly portrayed in the media as a sexually transmitted infection (STI). According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including direct contact with monkeypox rash, scabs, or body fluids from a person with monkeypox, touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox, and contact with respiratory secretions.”

Due to the nature of transmission, intimate contact with multiple sexual partners may increase your risk of exposure to the monkeypox virus. The current outbreak has primarily affected sexually active men who have sex with men, placing these communities at a higher risk of exposure to the monkeypox virus. Last week, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the current outbreak a public health emergency of international concern and recommended targeted interventions “to design and deliver effective information and services, and to adopt measures that protect the health, human rights and dignity of affected communities,” and reminded that “stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus.”

Whether in the form of LGBTphobia, gender bias, anti-Semitism, racism, sexism, Islamophobia, religious intolerance, or any of the too many other ways some in our society invent to marginalize or devalue others—this University will never tolerate hate, discrimination, or violence.

At this time, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is not requiring testing or vaccines for monkeypox---why is that?
The University follows guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and the Champaign Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) regarding our response to Monkeypox (MPV). Currently, there are no recommendations from these organizations for required general testing or vaccinations. That said, through targeted messaging to prevent the spread of the outbreak, we are encouraging anyone with symptoms or exposure to reach out to McKinley Health
Center for an assessment and follow-up. McKinley Health Center can test for Monkeypox and facilitate vaccinations for high-risk exposures.

Do you have any plans to implement MPV testing regulations for future semesters?
The Monkeypox outbreak is evolving, and we are in constant communication with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Champaign Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD). The University’s future Monkeypox response will be based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), IDPH and CUPHD.

If you have any questions that are not addressed in the information above, please email: studenthealthcenter@illinois.edu