The Panhandle Health District has confirmed one case of mumps in a North Idaho adult over 50 years old. This is not considered an outbreak. No local spread of mumps from this case has been identified and the individual is no longer contagious.
This has prompted the Coeur d’Alene Public Schools to issue a mumps alert on Friday:
Coeur d’Alene Public Schools strongly encourages our families and staff members to take precautions to prevent the contraction of mumps. Frequent and thorough hand washing, coughing and sneezing into your elbow, staying current on vaccinations, and staying home when sick are all good ways to prevent the spread of disease and illness.
Please be aware that in the event of an official outbreak in any one of our Coeur d’Alene Public School facilities, every student, staff, sub and parent volunteer at that location will be required to have a mumps vaccination to enter the building.
In the event of two or more confirmed cases in any one building — which classifies as an official outbreak — students who do not have proof of an MMR vaccination, even if they have a signed exemption, will be excluded from the affected school to protect our students and staff. Idaho Code 33-512-(7) outlines exclusions related to contagious diseases. Exclusions would last 26 days from onset of the last confirmed case.
Health officials say the North Idaho case may be linked to the ongoing mumps outbreak in nearby Spokane County, which as of Friday has reported 208 confirmed and probable cases.
The Panhandle Health District notes that most people have immunity to the mumps through vaccination, so there is little risk of getting mumps. Due to recent laborartory-confirmed mumps cases and an active outbreak of mumps in Spokane County, the Health District is advising residents to review their family’s immunization records and verify that they are up-to-date with the measles-mumps- rubella (MMR) vaccine.
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