FAYETTEVILLE — A student from Butterfield Trail Elementary School has a confirmed case of mumps, the school district reported today.
Butterfield Trail Elementary school officials were notified late Sunday of the illness, and district custodians did extra cleaning at Butterfield Trail Elementary this morning prior to the start of school, according to a school district news release.
Mumps causes swollen salivary glands, body aches and other mostly mild or moderate symptoms, but can lead to rare complications such as deafness or brain inflammation, particularly among adults.
Mumps cases in Northwest Arkansas were first reported among in the Springdale School District on Aug. 31. The illness appeared to have spread to 89 confirmed or suspected cases around Northwest Arkansas by Friday and had spread beyond Springdale to the Rogers, West Fork and Huntsville school districts, according to state health officials.
The Arkansas Department of Health requires students who attend the same school as a student with a confirmed case of mumps and who have vaccine exemptions for the mumps, measles and rubella vaccine or have no record of vaccination to be excluded from school for 26 days from the date of exposure.
Students with non-medical exemptions who receive the recommended doses of the vaccine to return to school immediately, according to Fayetteville School District news release.
Fayetteville parents with questions may contact Melissa Thomas, director of nursing, at (479) 445-1370 or [email protected].