Georgia state health officials are reporting an increase in mumps cases in 2018. Since the beginning of the year, 125 cases have been reported.

Mumps/THD
Mumps/THD

This is higher than the 121 cases reported in 2017 and more than double the 58 total cases reported during the 10 years prior.

Three outbreaks have occurred in various settings including five graduate students in an isolated outbreak at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University between late August and early September.

Mumps is a viral illness caused by a paramyxovirus, a member of the Rubulavirus family. The average incubation period for mumps is 16 to 18 days, with a range of 12 to 25 days.

Mumps usually involves pain, tenderness, and swelling in one or both parotid salivary glands (cheek and jaw area).

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The mumps virus replicates in the upper respiratory tract and spreads through direct contact with respiratory secretions or saliva or through fomites. The risk of spreading the virus increases the longer and the closer the contact a person has with someone who has mumps. When a person is ill with mumps, he or she should avoid contact with others from the time of diagnosis until at least 5 days after the onset of parotitis by staying home from work or school and staying in a separate room if possible.

You can protect yourself and your family against mumps with vaccination.

From January 1 to October 6, 2018, 47 states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. reported mumps infections in 1,885 people to CDC.