On Friday, the Arkansas Department of Health increased their tally of mumps cases in the ongoing outbreak to 626. The count includes both laboratory confirmed cases and cases currently under investigation. The new number marks a considerable increase from Wednesday's tally of 582.
The outbreak has affected more than 30 schools in the northwest region of the state. The health department is requiring students with exemptions for the mumps, measles and rubella vaccine at schools where a student or teacher has become infected with the mumps to remain out of school for at least 26 days or until the outbreak ends.
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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.
Recently, a renascent outbreak of the mumps infected more than 80 people in neighboring state Oklahoma.
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