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More Mumps In Bloomington Normal

Graham Beard
/
Wikimedia Commons

The McLean County Health Department says there are five new confirmed cases of mumps in the area.

Those are cases the health department believes do not connect to a cluster of cases at Illinois State University in March.

Communicable Disease investigators are still tracing contacts in the latest cases and notifying close contacts of those affected that they too might be at risk.
 
The health department urged people who show symptoms to self isolate and to get testing.

"We need to protect our most vulnerable populations - those who cannot get measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine because of age or illness - from exposure to mumps virus,” said Melissa Graven, Communicable Disease Supervisor at the health department.

According to the health department, the time between exposure to the disease and the appearance of the first symptoms of illness for mumps is between 12 days and 25 days after exposure and infection with the virus. Individuals with mumps are most infectious during the two days prior to the onset of symptoms and until 5 days after the symptoms appear.

The virus spreads most often through coughing, sneezing, and touching surfaces with mucous droplets on them.

Disease investigators said those most vulnerable to catching the virus are those who do not have a recent vaccination.

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WGLT Senior Reporter Charlie Schlenker has spent more than three award-winning decades in radio. He lives in Normal with his family.
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