November 21, 2007
Mumps Reported In Onondaga County
The Onondaga County Health Department was notified that a confirmed case of mumps has been reported in an Onondaga County resident. This is the first confirmed case in Onondaga County since 1997. Cynthia Morrow, MD, MPH, Commissioner of Health explained, "Mumps is a vaccine preventable viral disease. Because of high vaccination rates, the spread of this disease to others in unlikely." Morrow stated that this individual did not travel outside of Onondaga County and it is unknown at this time how the infected person was exposed to mumps.
Further, Morrow detailed that it is probable that the individual was infectious (able to spread the disease to another person) from the last two days of October through the first week of November. While there have been no other cases reported at this time, it would be most likely that an exposed individual would become ill between the third and fourth weeks of November.
Symptoms of mumps include: fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, loss of appetite; usually followed by swelling of the salivary glands. It is important that anyone experiencing these symptoms, talk to their health care provider to determine if it is mumps. The health department has notified health care providers to alert them about this case and asked if they suspect mumps in a patient, to contact the health department immediately. Since the early symptoms of mumps are similar to those of seasonal flu, getting a flu shot can lessen the confusion between the two illnesses.
For more information about mumps, contact the Onondaga County Health Department at
435-3280 or visit www.ongov.net.
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