An unconfirmed case of mumps at W.F. West High School in Chehalis prompted a letter to be sent to parents on Monday.
The letter, which was sent by the Lewis County Department of Public Health and Social Services, said students at the high school may have been exposed to the virus.
Mumps is a contagious disease that is spread through coughing and sneezing or contact with the saliva from an infected person. People with the virus are generally contagious before they develop symptoms a few days later.
Symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle aches, tiredness and a loss of appetite. The most distinctive symptom, however, is a swelling of the cheeks neck or jaw. Symptoms last from one week to 10 days. There is no specific treatment for mumps.
Public Health Community Services Manager John Abplanalp said mumps is not common in Lewis County.
“But the state is having an increased number of cases specifically up in Pierce and King county,” he said.
Abplanalp said the statewide rates of mumps cases are at a 10-year high and that the letter to parents was sent out of “an abundance of caution.”
In press release from the state Department of Health issued earlier this month, the agency said King County had 54 confirmed or probable cases of mumps, and four likely cases were reported in Pierce County.
The Department of Health press release went on to say that measles, mumps and rubella vaccines can greatly reduce the likelihood of contracting the disease, which can cause loss of hearing, swelling of the covering of the brain and spinal cord, as well as brain damage.
Children should be vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age with a follow-up vaccination between 4 to 6 years of age. Adults should generally receive at least one vaccination.
The press release went on to say mumps is generally not common in the U.S., but outbreaks in Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Arkansas, Iowa and Texas have occurred in recent years.
Vaccinations are available from healthcare providers or by calling 1-800-322-2588, the press release said.
“A lot of these infectious diseases kind of go through cycles,” Abplanalp said. “... When it hits populations that are not immunized, it can spread even faster.”
According to county data, 93 percent of kindergarteners were vaccinated last year and 96.2 percent of sixth-graders were vaccinated.
