Up to 75 Arlington students possibly exposed to mumps
Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 6, 2017
ARLINGTON — Some 75 Arlington School District students have been potentially exposed to mumps, part of an ongoing outbreak of the disease locally and nationally.
The students, from five schools, were on bus trips April 20 and 21. Mumps symptoms can occur up to 25 days after exposure.
Five students are excluded from classes through May 16 because they hadn’t received the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine to help prevent the disease, said Gary Sabol, a school district spokesman.
So far there’s been one confirmed case of mumps in the district, which sickened a staff member.
The Snohomish Health District sent letters to the families of students at five schools advising them of the potential exposure and to be on the alert for symptoms — Arlington High School, Post Middle School and three elementary schools, Eagle Creek, Kent Prairie and Presidents.
“We’re continuing to see the same trends statewide,” said Heather Thomas, a Snohomish Health District spokeswoman.
Cases did slow somewhat, probably because of students being out of school for spring break. “Now that students are back in school, we’re seeing a few more pop up here and there,” she said.
Mumps symptoms include neck or jaw swelling and swelling of one or both testicles in boys who have reached puberty. Other symptoms can include fever, headache, fatigue and loss of appetite.
Mumps is highly infectious and can cause other serious complications. They include meningitis, a swelling of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, and encephalitis, which causes brain swelling.
Snohomish County now has 64 confirmed or probable cases of the mumps, the third highest number in the state.
Spokane has 324 confirmed or probable cases and King County has 296. Statewide, there’s 823 confirmed or probable cases, according to the state Department of Health.
Nationally, mumps cases have been reported in 42 states since the beginning of the year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
