Just days after reporting several confirmed mumps cases at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in Faulkner County, a Clark County school is the latest to report a mumps case.
The Department of Health confirmed Friday that one student has been diagnosed with a case of the mumps at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia.
Statewide, The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) reporting investigating 1,488 suspected and lab confirmed cases of mumps. In addition to Faulkner and Clark counties, cases have been reported in Benton, Madison, Pulaski, and Washington counties.
The DeSigner Barber & Stylist School in Fort Smith is the third post-high school institution to report mumps in the current outbreak.
The ADH reports 90% to 95% of school-aged children and 30% to 40% of adults involved in the outbreak have been fully immunized.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mumps is a viral illness that is transmitted by direct contact with respiratory droplets or saliva from an infected person. It is best known for painful, swollen salivary glands that show up as puffy cheeks and swollen jaw. Boys may also have painful, swollen testicles. Other symptoms include fever, headache, muscles aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite. There is no treatment, and symptoms usually resolve themselves within a few weeks. Mumps is usually a mild disease in children, but adults may have more serious disease with complications.
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