Mumps is a viral infection that causes swelling in the salivary glands near the jaw. It is a contagious disease spread
through mucus droplets from the nose or throat of an infected person and is most frequently spread through coughing,
sneezing, talking, kissing, and touching surfaces with droplets on them and then touching your own mouth or nose.
There are currently 22 confirmed mumps cases in McLean County, with additional tests pending.
Normal West High School, University High School and Illinois State University now have three or more confirmed cases of mumps linked to their campuses. At both schools, letters are being sent to all students, faculty, and staff who have been identified as close contacts to the individuals with mumps.
Melissa Graven, Communicable Disease Program Supervisor at the McLean County Health Department, spoke to us about current local outbreak of Mumps.
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From McLean County Health Department:
“The situation is very fluid”, explains Melissa, Communicable Disease Program Supervisor at the McLean County
Health Department adding, “the last thing we want to do is panic anyone in the community. We have been in a community
outbreak since September 4th, and now as some of our closed communities — like schools and colleges — have three or
more positive cases that are linkable when we do our contact tracing, they technically have their own mini-outbreaks.”“There’s no doubt the mumps virus is circulating, but if you’ve taken steps to protect yourself and others, that’s the most
you can really do,” says Gravens. “We really want to be sure we are protecting those who cannot get the mumps
vaccination due to medical conditions, so that’s where we are focusing a lot of our efforts now. The community can help
by making sure they have done all they can do to prevent contracting the mumps virus.”
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsqkOtyd4p8swHJQgzhvDsw
- Avoid close contact with individuals who are sick.
- Avoid sharing drinks, eating utensils, and cigarettes with others.
- Wash your hands well and frequently with soap and water. If soap and water is not available, use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces (doorknobs, tables, desks, counters) regularly with soap and water or with cleaning wipes.
