SPRINGDALE (KFSM) — The Arkansas Department of Health said Tuesday (Sept. 13) the number of suspected and confirmed cases of mumps stood at 135.
A reported case of mumps in the Huntsville School District has also been confirmed, the health department said. That brings the total of school districts with confirmed cases of the mumps to three: Springdale, Rogers and Huntsville.
The health department is also independently investigating reports of mumps in West Fork and Fayetteville, although the Fayetteville School District said Monday a doctor notified the district that his patient, who is an elementary school student, had the mumps.
During a regular meeting with lawmakers in Little Rock, the health department said Monday the virus was likely brought to the Northwest Arkansas by a person who had traveled from Iowa, which is dealing with its own outbreak of mumps.
The outbreak was first reported Aug. 31 in the Springdale School District and has spread since then.
There will be an informational meeting about the mumps Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. at Rogers Heritage High School.
The Arkansas Department of Health will also be offering free MMR vaccinations, which cover the mumps, measles and rubella, Sept. 21 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Jones Center in Springdale.
There will also be several immunization clinics this month in Benton County:
- Sept. 15: At the Benton County Health Dept. from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Mercy Clinic Pediatrics from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sept. 16: At the Benton County Health Dept. from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Sept. 17: At Mercy Clinic Pediatrics from 8 a.m. to noon
- Sept. 29: At Benton Co. Health Dept. from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and at Mercy Clinic Pediatrics from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sept. 30: At Benton Co. Health Dept. from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Oct. 1: At Mercy Clinic Pediatrics from 8 a.m. to noon
However, the above listed clinics, are not free.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mumps is a viral illness that is transmitted by direct contact with respiratory droplets or saliva from an infected person. Symptoms include painful, swollen salivary glands that show up as puffy cheeks and swollen jaw. Boys may also have painful, swollen testicles. Other symptoms include fever, headache, muscles aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite.
There is no treatment, and symptoms usually resolve themselves within a few weeks. Mumps is usually a mild disease in children, but adults may have more serious disease with complications.
