New case numbers show at least 3 kids under age 17 have contracted monkeypox in Georgia

ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Public Health has released its latest numbers for monkeypox cases across the state of Georgia.

As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, DPH reported a total of 1,240 cases of the virus.

Of those cases, three were in the age range of newborn to 17 years old.

The biggest age group impacted by the virus are 26- to 35-year-olds.

About 98% of all cases are men.

Across the state, a total of 16,467 people have received at least one dose of the monkeypox vaccine, and nearly 2,000 people have received both doses.

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The new numbers come as the Newton County School System confirmed that a student in the district has tested positive for monkeypox.

The school district notified parents that a student at Mansfield Elementary School tested positive. A second student who attends Flint Hill Elementary School is also being tested for the virus.

A spokesman for the Gwinnett-Rockdale-Newton Public Health District confirmed the student is the first pediatric case in the district.

It is unclear if those cases are part of the total released by DPH on Wednesday.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been nearly 16,000 cases reported across the country as of Wednesday.

The monkeypox virus can spread from person to person through direct contact with an infectious rash, scabs or body fluids, according to the CDC.

Anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox can be infected.

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