A student at Grice Middle School has been confirmed to have tested positive for Mumps.
The district sent a letter to parents and guardians alerting them of the confirmed case.
The letter from the district, and cosigned by Hamilton Township’s Health Officer, did not name the student or when they tested positive. It also did not state if other students are being monitored for mumps symptoms.
What is mumps?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mumps is best known for the puffy cheeks and tender, swollen jaw that it causes. This is a result of swollen salivary glands under the ears on one or both sides.
Mumps spreads through direct contact with saliva or other respiratory droplets through coughing, sneezing or talking; sharing items, such as water bottles or cups; participating in close-contact activities with others, and touching contaminated objects or surfaces. An infected person can spread the virus three days before their salivary glands begin to swell to five days after the swelling begins.
Know the signs
Symptoms typically appear 16 to 18 days after infection, but may show up between 12 and 25 days, and can include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
Some people with mumps may show only mild symptoms — or no symptoms at all — and recover within two weeks. However, in rare cases, mumps can cause complications, including the following:
- Inflammation of the testicles in males who have reached puberty, which can lead to a decrease in testicular size
- Inflammation of the ovaries or breast tissue in women
- Inflammation of the pancreas, known as pancreatitis
- Inflammation of the brain, known as encephalitis
- Inflammation of the tissue covering the brain and spinal cord, known as meningitis
- Deafness
