Cases of mumps continue to mount in the ongoing mumps outbreak in northwest Arkansas. On Monday, the Arkansas Department of Health increased the tally to 695, marking an increase from the 626 cases reported on Oct. 21.
The count includes both laboratory confirmed cases and cases currently under investigation. The outbreak has affected more than 30 schools in the northwest region of the state.
The mumps are best known for painful, swollen salivary glands that cause puffy cheeks and swollen jaw. It is a highly communicable disease transmitted by person-to-person contact and is typically accompanied by initial symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite.
According to the CDC, two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine are 88 percent effective at preventing the mumps.
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