STANWOOD — A report of mumps at Twin City Elementary is the latest in a string of cases in Snohomish County.
School administrators and the Snohomish Health District have warned families from Everett High School, North Middle School and Hawthorne Elementary in Everett, along with Twin City Elementary in Stanwood, about confirmed or probable cases of the illness.
Mumps were confirmed last week at Hawthorne Elementary and Everett High School. Additional probable cases have been recorded since at Everett High and North Middle School.
At schools with confirmed or probable cases, children or employees who haven’t been immunized have been urged not to go to school until the 26th day after exposure.
So far this year, nine cases of mumps have been confirmed in the county. There also are 13 probable cases, totaling a potential 22 local people who have contracted the illness. That’s double last week’s tally of 11. It’s part of a statewide outbreak that has sickened hundreds.
This is “far worse than we’ve seen in years,” health district spokeswoman Heather Thomas said Friday. There was one case of mumps in 2016, two in 2014 and none in 2013 or 2015.
Mumps is a dangerous illness because it spreads as easily as the flu and those infected usually are contagious before or right after symptoms appear, Thomas said. That means people can spread mumps without knowing they have it. The disease can cause long-term health problems.
Most people who get mumps experience a fairly mild illness, according to the health district. However, more severe cases can cause lasting issues. Among them are: inflammation of the brain or the tissue covering the brain and spinal cord; inflammation of testicles, ovaries or breast tissue; and deafness. Mumps also can cause miscarriage during the first three months of pregnancy.
Most adults born before 1957 have had mumps at some point and likely are immune. A mumps vaccine wasn’t in use until the late 1960s. Prior to that, mumps was considered “a universal disease of childhood,” according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The Snohomish Health District informed the Stanwood-Camano School District Thursday that there was one confirmed case of mumps at Twin City Elementary.
Most of the students and employees have been vaccinated against mumps, but some have not provided documentation. The district honors immunization exemptions for personal, medical or religious reasons. However, students or employees who have not provided proof of immunization are asked to stay out of school until the 26th day after exposure, according to a letter to families. That’s March 29.
District officials also have asked that students and employees in every Stanwood-Camano school make sure their immunization records are up to date.
In Everett, the families of 18 students at North Middle School have been told the students are excluded from school for 26 days or until they can provide documentation that they’ve been vaccinated.
Among the signs of mumps are swelling in the neck, jaw or, for boys who have reached puberty, testicles. Other more general symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite. If symptoms appear, parents are asked to take their child in for medical care. Symptoms can start to appear up to 25 days after someone is exposed to the virus.
Thomas advises anyone who thinks they may not have had the MMR vaccine, which vaccinates against measles, mumps and rubella, to contact their doctor. They also should talk to their doctor if they think they’ve been exposed to mumps or if they start noticing symptoms. Anyone with symptoms should stay away from others to avoid spreading the illness.
The Everett School District has planned a free mumps immunization clinic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Cascade High School, 801 E. Casino Road. There are 240 doses of the vaccine available on a first come, first served basis.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
