Residents across 13 counties have been affected, with the bulk of illnesses occurring in King County and Spokane County. The outbreak has also affected a number of fraternities and sororities at the University of Washington in Seattle. As of Wednesday, 20 students had contracted the mumps, according to The Seattle Times.
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The mumps is a highly transmissible disease characterized by painful, swollen salivary glands that cause puffy cheeks and swollen jaw. Other symptoms related to the virus can include fever, headache, muscle aches, testicular pain and swelling, tiredness and loss of appetite. In addition to being properly vaccinated, good hand hygiene can offer protection from the mumps.
Two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine are 88 percent effective at preventing the mumps, according to the CDC.
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