Mumps Outbreak Update: 36 Cases In 4 Local Cities

SEATTLE, WA - A local outbreak of the mumps virus grew to 36 cases on Tuesday, an increase of five cases since Monday, and nine cases since last week, King County Health officials are saying.

Also on Tuesday, King County announced that mumps has spread to two people living in Kent, one person in Federal Way, and one person in Pacific. The outbreak originated in Auburn and had been contained there until Tuesday's announcement.

Of the 36 cases, six are confirmed; the rest are considered "probable" mumps. Twenty of the cases are in children ages 1 to 17. King County is looking into an additional 3 unconfirmed cases.

Of the 36 cases, the county said, 67 percent infected had been vaccinated. Although the mumps vaccine is not 100 percent effective, the county is urging anyone who is not vaccinated to get their shot immediately.

In a blog post on Monday, King County Health Officer Dr. Jeffrey Duchin said that in the pre-vaccine days, tens of thousands of people would get mumps each month. The virus causes painful swelling of the face and neck and flu-like symptoms. Mumps can also cause potentially deadly encephalitis and viral meningitis.

"Since the widespread use of the mumps vaccine in the U.S., there has been a 99 percent decrease in mumps," he wrote.

Duchin has said that the county does not usually see this many mumps infections in one season. In past years, there has been a maximum of about seven cases in a given season.

Read Duchin's full blog on the importance of vaccinations here.

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