The continuing mumps outbreak first detected in Springdale now appears to have spread to Rogers, the Arkansas Department of Health announced Thursday.
The confirmed or suspected cases numbered 76 as of Thursday afternoon, including at least two in the Rogers School District, according to district spokeswoman Ashley Siwiec and the Health Department's state epidemiologist, Dr. Dirk Haselow. Those outside of Springdale likely contracted the mumps virus after contact with infected people in Springdale, Haselow said.
Mumps vaccine recommendations
• For children younger than 6, one dose at age 12-15 months, followed by a second dose at age 4-6 years.
• For children 7 through 18 not previously vaccinated, one dose followed by a second dose at least four weeks after the first.
• For adults born in 1957 or later and not previously vaccinated, one dose.
• A second dose is recommended for adults born in 1957 or later who are students in a post-secondary educational institution, work in a health care facility or plan to travel internationally. The second dose should be administered at least 28 days after the first.
• For those experiencing mumps-like symptoms, health officials recommend calling their doctor before going to the doctor’s office so they can be quickly separated from others.
Source: Arkansas Department of Health
"From week to week our case counts continue to escalate, and actually they're speeding up," Haselow said. "So we're worried that this is going to get worse before it gets better."
The virus can cause swollen salivary glands, head and body aches and other symptoms that are generally fairly mild, but can rarely lead to more serious complications such as deafness or brain inflammation, particularly in adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can be spread by coughing, sneezing or other contact with saliva or mucus.
Rogers reported two students at New Technology High School likely have mumps. Dozens of cases in Springdale are also public school students or staff members.
School nurses are keeping an eye out for mumps symptoms, and the districts are emphasizing good hygiene, such as frequent hand-washing and sneezing into the crook of an elbow instead of the hands, Siwiec and other district spokesmen have said. Springdale has been deep-cleaning schools every night and buses twice a day, according to spokesman Rick Schaeffer.
Students who go to the affected schools and aren't vaccinated against mumps must stay home until getting the vaccine or 26 days have passed since the last case was found. Siwiec said the Rogers high school knew of two students who weren't fully vaccinated and was contacting their families to let them know their options.
People with the disease are encouraged to stay home while the symptoms play out over a few weeks. There's no treatment specific to mumps.
The Health Department has also reached out to people who might have come in contact with the virus to check if they've been vaccinated and offer the vaccine if needed. The department has focused small, localized vaccine clinics mostly on adults between 30 and 59 years old who are near clusters of the disease, Haselow said.
People of those ages missed the mumps epidemic of earlier years, when it affected hundreds of thousands of people a year, but grew up before the two-dose vaccine became standard.
"That's the group that I think has a high potential to cause this outbreak to expand," he said.
As the outbreak continues, the department is also tentatively planning on providing a public clinic on Sept. 21 to anyone who hasn't been immunized. It'll likely be held at The Jones Center, though Haselow said plans could change.
The vaccine works by introducing a weakened version of the mumps virus into the body, essentially a practice run for the immune system to prepare for any full-strength exposure in the future. Two doses of the vaccine prevent the illness in 88 percent of the people who receive them, according to the federal disease centers.
Indeed, most of the people affected by the outbreak were appropriately vaccinated, Haselow said.
"What's important for people to understand is to not think that's a reason to not get the shot," he added. "Of those who do get mumps (after vaccination), it's usually shorter in duration, milder in terms of pain and harder to transmit to others. It's still a very obvious benefit."
NW News on 09/09/2016