Grant County health officials reported Monday afternoon that a confirmed case of mumps has been reported in the county.
The Grant County Health Department is working to contact people inside and outside Grant County who may have been exposed to the person while the person was able to spread mumps, according to a Health Department news release.
The news release did not say where the infected person was living in Grant County, or the victim's age.
Anyone who thinks he or she has mumps is advised to seek medical care and be sure to call his or her health care provider in advance so contact with others can be limited. Mumps can be spread through the air up to a week around the onset of symptoms by coughing, sneezing or talking. Symptoms show two to three weeks after exposure.
Mumps is a viral infection that can cause swelling of an infected person’s salivary glands. It begins with low-grade fever, headache, muscle pain and a general feeling of discomfort. Salivary glands cause the cheek and jaw to swell on one or both sides of the face within the first two days of the illness.
There is no specific treatment for mumps, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Health Department director Jeff Kindrai said complications are infrequent, but can include meningitis, inflammation of the covering of the brain and spinal cord; encephalitis, inflammation of the brain; reproductive health problems; deafness; and rarely death.
People with mumps should remain home and avoid exposing others, and remain home for five days after salivary gland swelling begins. They should also avoid contact with children less than one year old, pregnant women who are suspectible to mumps, and people with weakened immune systems.
The Mumps–Measles–Rubella vaccine is recommended for children age 12 to 15 months and at 4 to 6 years old; the vaccine is 95 percent effective at providing immunity. People who have gotten mumps in the past are generally immune as well.
For more information, contact the Grant County Health Department, 723-6416, or go to www.co.grant.wi.gov.
