More than 30 schools across four school districts in northwest Arkansas have reported at least one case of the mumps in association with the outbreak that began in August. In response to the outbreak, ADH issued requirements for students with vaccination exemptions at schools where a student or teacher has become infected with the mumps to remain home from school for 26 days after the potential date of exposure. State health officials encouraged residents in affected areas to practice good hand hygiene to prevent infection and make sure their loved ones are up to date on MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) vaccinations.
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“We are very concerned about this outbreak,” said Dirk Haselow, MD, PhD, state epidemiologist and outbreak response medical director for ADH, in a release. “Mumps can have serious complications. We are seeing transmission from child to child in school settings, and we continue to see a high number of new cases.”
At the time of the release on Wednesday, the case count was at 492. By 9:17 p.m. that evening, the count increased to 518.
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