Officials Give Update On Delco Mumps Outbreak

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — After several people at a Delaware County high school were diagnosed with mumps last week, the county's leading medical advisor is offering and update and recommendations on how to avoid being diagnosed.

Delaware County's Senior Medical Advisor Dr. George Avetian said CDC reports that from Jan. 1 to Sept. 13 this year, 47 states and the District of Columbia reported mumps infections in 2,363 people.

At Ridley High School, one student, three staff members, and a student teacher were diagnosed with mumps last week.

Mumps outbreaks can still occur in communities of people who previously had one or two doses of MMR vaccine. This is particularly common in close-contact settings.

"High vaccination coverage helps limit the size, duration, and spread of mumps outbreaks," Avetian said. "Mumps vaccine is the best way to protect children against mumps."

The vaccine is usually given as part of a combination vaccine that protects against three diseases: measles, mumps, and rubella. This vaccine is only licensed for use in children who are 12 months through 12 years of age.

Children should get two doses of MMR vaccine: the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age.

Anyone born during or after 1957 who has never had mumps or has never been vaccinated is at risk for mumps. It’s recommended that those born during or after 1957 get at least one dose of the MMR vaccine.

According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, mumps is best known for the puffy cheeks and tender, swollen jaw that it causes. This is a result of swollen salivary glands under the ears on one or both sides, often referred to as parotitis.

Other symptoms that might begin a few days before parotitis include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Tiredness
• Loss of appetite

Symptoms typically appear 16 to 18 days after infection, but this period can range from 12 to 25 days after infection.

Some people who get mumps have very mild symptoms — like a cold — or no symptoms at all and may not know they have the disease.

Most people with mumps recover completely within two weeks