Columbus Public Health reported today that the Central Ohio area mumps outbreak is 75 percent of all cases nationwide.

The new numbers reported by health officials are up to 295 mumps cases reported in Franklin and Delaware counties. To date, 176 cases have been linked to The Ohio State University outbreak.

Public domain image/David Benbennick
Public domain image/David Benbennick

Of the total outbreak, nearly three out of four cases (215, or 73.8%) are in Columbus residents. Other cases are from Athens 1, Belmont 1, Cincinnati 1, Clark 1, Delaware 32, Fairfield 1, Franklin 31, Hamilton 1, Licking 4, Madison 2, Pickaway 4 and Ross 1

Sixty-two percent of the cases are in females and the range in age of those infected is from 9 months to 80 years. Eight patients required hospitalization for their illness. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mumps is a contagious disease that is caused by the mumps virus. Mumps typically starts with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite, and is followed by swelling of salivary glands.

Mumps is spread by droplets of saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose, or throat of an infected person, usually when the person coughs, sneezes or talks. Items used by an infected person, such as cups or softdrink cans, can also be contaminated with the virus, which may spread to others if those items are shared.

Symptoms typically appear 16-18 days after infection, but this period can range from 12-25 days afterinfection.

It is usually a mild disease, but can occasionally cause serious complications.

The most common complication is inflammation of the testicles (orchitis) in males who have reached puberty; rarely does this lead to fertility problems.

Other rare complications include inflammation of the brain and/or tissue covering the brain and spinal cord(encephalitis/meningitis), inflammation of the ovaries (oophoritis) and/or breasts (mastitis) infemales who have reached puberty and deafness.