Health agencies try to counter Ohio mumps outbreak

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Health agencies trying to stem a
large and growing mumps outbreak are advising college, school and even
day care leaders to make sure central Ohio students are immunized and to
separate them from those who haven’t been vaccinated and those who are
infected.
More than 250 cases of the contagious viral illness are
confirmed, making it the largest mumps outbreak in Ohio in years, said
Brian Fowler, the chief of vaccine-preventable disease epidemiology at
the Ohio Department of Health.
It comprises most of the 276 mumps
cases reported nationwide so far this year, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. By comparison, 438 cases were reported
last year.
The Ohio cases date to January, and it is hard to say
how long the outbreak might last. Officials hope new cases will become
more sporadic, especially as classes end and students of all ages have
less contact in school environments that make the spread of illnesses
more likely.
"We’re not out of the woods yet," Columbus Public Health spokesman Jose Rodriguez said.
More
than 150 cases are linked to Ohio State University, which began an
initiative Monday to get more students and staff vaccinated and is
offering the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine at four locations. Students
are urged to get two doses of the vaccine.
Columbus State Community College, which reported a few cases, scheduled an immunization clinic Wednesday
and Thursday.
Health
officials say immunization is the best strategy to counter the
outbreak, though the vaccine isn’t 100 percent effective. The majority
of those infected had been vaccinated, Rodriguez said.
Ohio
requires the vaccine for youngsters attending school, but some are
exempted for philosophical or health reasons. In Delaware County north
of Columbus, a handful of unvaccinated students at a school that had two
reported cases are being excluded from attending class for at least 25
days, the incubation period for the illness.
Mumps often starts
with fever, fatigue and body aches and can be spread through droplets of
saliva or mucus. Up to one-third of people who contract the illness
don’t show major symptoms but can be contagious, so health officials say
the origin of the outbreak may never be known despite efforts to
investigate links between the cases.
"It’s nice to know what
caused it initially, but the reality is it’s much more important to
focus on containing it," Fowler said.
The vaccine is key and has
helped reduce outbreaks since the 1950s and 1960s, when the state had
about 10,000 mumps cases annually, he said.
Health officials say
that infected individuals should remain isolated for several days and
that others should take steps to protect themselves, such as washing
their hands frequently and not sharing drinks.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
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