In a follow-up on the mumps outbreak in northwest Arkansas, The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) says the case count continues to grow with 492 cases as of Wednesday. The number of new cases, which had seemed to slow down recently, has begun to rise again, health officials note.

Image/CDC
Image/CDC

Cases have been seen in the Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, and Huntsville school districts and ADH officials urge the public to ensure they are up-to-date on their Mumps, Measles, Rubella (MMR) vaccine and practice infection control by washing hands regularly and staying home if they suspect they are sick.

“We are very concerned about this outbreak,” said Dirk Haselow, MD, PhD, State Epidemiologist and Outbreak Response Medical Director for ADH. “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.”

There will be a mass MMR vaccine clinic on October 13 at the Jones Center in Springdale from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The flu vaccine will also be offered. Patients with insurance should bring their insurance cards. The vaccine will be provided at no cost to the patient whether they have insurance or not.

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