Of the cases, 61 have occurred in children and 23 in adults. In addition to the 20 schools affected in the Springdale School District and the three schools in the Rogers School District, one poultry plant and one manufacturing plant have also been impacted by the outbreak.
The Arkansas Department of Health is now requiring students at affected schools with exemptions to the mumps, measles and rubella vaccine to remain out of school for at least 26 days or until the outbreak has ended, whichever is longer. Still, Dr. Smith expects more mumps cases will surface in the coming months.
“Because mumps is highly communicable, it’s challenging to get a hold of it,” Dr. Smith told the state House and Senate committees on public health, welfare and labor, according to Arkansas News. “Eventually, these outbreaks do come under control, but it’s likely that we will continue to see new cases for several months, despite doing everything that’s possible to be done.”
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