What to Know
- Mumps is highly contagious and is characterized by fever, headache and fatigue, among other symptoms
- The disease can't be treated and while the vaccine is not 100 percent effective, two doses of the vaccine are the best protection
- Sixteen cases of the mumps have been reported at SUNY New Paltz and now one case has been reported at the high school
An outbreak of mumps that has affected more than a dozen people at the State University of New York at New Paltz has spread to the town's high school and could possibly reach even further, according to the school's latest health update.
Sixteen people, including at least eight members of the swim team at SUNY New Paltz and one athletic staff member, have come down with the mumps, a highly contagious viral disease, since early October.
The county health department has an additional eight probable cases.
According to the school, one of the students afflicted with the condition, which is characterized by fever, headache and swelling of the salivary glands, had been in close contact with a student at the New Paltz High School, and now the high school student has been diagnosed with a probable case of mumps.
The high school student has been in close contact with a student at the New Paltz Middle School, and though the younger student does not have the mumps at this time, staff and parents at both secondary schools are being warned their children may have been exposed.
SUNY New Paltz said it has been in touch with the school district and has offered to provide assistance as needed. Upcoming Thanksgiving travel and gatherings compound the possibility for the mumps outbreak to spread.
After a person is exposed, symptoms usually appear 16 to 18 days after infection, but this period can range from 12-25 days after infection. Mumps can't be treated. Aside from headache, other symptoms include low-grade fever, fatigue, muscle aches and loss of appetite.
The disease is transmitted by close contact, sharing utensils and drinking glasses and through saliva contact by kissing or other means. Health officials recommend washing hands frequently as a preventative measure.
