Oklahoma mumps outbreak now over 40 cases

On Monday, the Oklahoma State Department of Health confirmed 43 cases of the mumps in the state, marking an increase from 34 suspected cases reported Sept. 14.

The mumps are best known for painful, swollen salivary glands that cause puffy cheeks and swollen jaw. There is no treatment for the mumps and symptoms usually resolve in a few weeks. While the disease is typically mild in children, the mumps can be more severe in adults.

According to the CDC, two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine are 88 percent effective at preventing the mumps.

"State and local public health officials are working closely with schools and healthcare providers to rapidly identify suspected cases and exclude affected persons from childcare centers, schools or workplaces during the timeframe they are able to transmit mumps to other persons," said the state health department in an outbreak summary.

Recently, a renascent outbreak of the mumps in northwest Arkansas associated with 33 schools across three school districts resulted in nearly 400 infections.

More articles on infection control: 
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Shigellosis outbreak strikes Flint, Mich.; 84 sickened

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