Mumps Outbreak Information
There is a mumps outbreak in Washington state. This week, there have been confirmed cases of mumps in a school district adjacent to Riverview School District. During an outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease, your child will be excluded from school if they are not up to date on their immunizations for that disease or if they do not have proof of immunity via a blood test. If your child is under-immunized/non-immunized, they will be excluded from school from the date of the first confirmed case in your district until 26 days after the onset of the last case of mumps in the district. If your child has a medical, religious, or philosophical immunization exemption on file, please plan for how you will accommodate your child being at home and missing their academic instruction and extracurricular activities for a prolonged period.
Here is a list of FAQs that we have been receiving.
Communicability: mumps is a contagious viral illness that is spread easily by respiratory droplets and saliva. A person is often contagious before they know they have the mumps. After exposure, the virus incubates for 12-25 days before symptoms appear.
Common Symptoms: About 40-50% of the time it causes only mild symptoms similar to a cold or flu, such as headache, low grade fever, malaise, and muscle aches. About 30-40% of the time it also causes more significant symptoms that include swelling of the salivary glands, lymph nodes, testicles or ovaries. Up to 20% of the time the disease is completely asymptomatic and the person does not know they have the mumps.
Complications: There is a risk of significant complications from a mumps infection such as meningitis, encephalitis, deafness, pancreatitis, testicular atrophy, myocarditis, or arthritis.
For more information about mumps infection click here.
- How is it treated or prevented?
Treatment: There is no cure for mumps. Supportive treatment typically includes fluids, rest, and fever or pain medications if necessary. Your naturopathic physician may also recommend botanical medicines or nutrients to support your body’s response and recovery.
Prevention: Mumps is prevented by a 2 dose series of the MMR vaccine and/or avoidance of exposure. For more information about the vaccine click here.
- Are there people who should not be vaccinated and are there risks to being vaccinated?
Yes, there are people who should not get the vaccine or who should wait to be vaccinated. And yes, there are risks to being vaccinated. Please go here for a list of contraindications and potential adverse reactions.
- Does Tolt River Family Medicine have the MMR and MMRV vaccines in stock?
Yes. We participate in the WA Vaccines for Children program and stock all standard childhood vaccines. Established patients can call the clinic for an appointment and we will fit you in promptly if your child needs this vaccine.
- Is my child up to date? On which dates did they get their shots?
Schools are directing parents who are unsure of their child’s status to call their health care provider. As a small clinic with limited support staff, we can be quickly overcome with requests from parents to check their child’s vaccine status. We cannot provide this information over the phone to callers, due to privacy regulations. Outbreak events highlight the importance of parents keeping their own, up to date record of their child’s immunization status. We provide every family with a Lifetime Immunization Record booklet for tracking vaccines administered. You may request an updated vaccine record during your child’s office visit at no charge. If you request a copy outside of an office visit for that child, there will be a $10 charge. If you need to know if your child is up to date on their mumps vaccine you can:
a. Ask the school to check your child’s vaccine status for you
b. Send a completed Immunization Record Request to the clinic with your $10 payment. Within 7 business days of receiving your request, we will mail you a copy of the vaccine record. You should keep a copy of the immunization record with your child’s birth certificate or passport.
- Can I get just one dose instead of two?
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends a two dose series. One dose of the vaccine is 78% effective at preventing mumps, whereas a two dose series is 88% effective at preventing mumps. If your school aged child has only had one dose of the vaccine they will be excluded from school, unless they have a blood test that documents protective levels of mumps antibodies or they get a second dose of the vaccine.
- How can I prove that I am immune if:
- I can’t track down my vaccine record?
- I was partially immunized?
- I previously had the disease?
- I am worried that my immunity has worn off?
Please schedule an appointment to discuss this with one of our providers. You can have a blood test that will see if you have a level of antibodies to mumps that is likely to be protective. The lab report can be used as proof of immunity. Testing for mumps immunity costs approximately $60. Testing for measles, mumps, and rubella immunity costs approximately $150. Health insurance plans often do not cover this cost. If you find that you are not immune to mumps, you can choose to have the vaccine. It is not necessary to have the immunization or lab evidence of immunity if you were born prior to 1957.
- Can I request a Mumps Only vaccine instead of the MMR or MMRV?
No. In the United States the mumps only vaccine is no longer available. The only options for mumps vaccination are the MMR or the MMRV vaccine.
- If I am exposed, can’t I just get the vaccine then?
Getting the vaccine after you are exposed will not prevent you from getting the mumps this time. You need to be vaccinated before you are exposed to the disease for it to work. Keep in mind that you may not know if you have been exposed.
- Can I talk to the doctor about the mumps disease and the mumps vaccine?
Yes. If you would like individual, one-on-one counseling related to the mumps outbreak or the mumps vaccine, you should schedule an office visit with one of our providers.
- What do I do if I suspect that I have the mumps or my child has the mumps?
Stay at home. Call the clinic before coming in or self-scheduling. We will have you come to the clinic after other patients have left or we will provide a house call.