Community Teaming Up To Slow Mumps Outbreak

By Curtis D. Tucker, Enid Buzz | Friday, September 16, 2016
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ENID, Okla. - Enid Public Schools recently announced that students at Enid High and Longfellow had been confirmed to have the mumps. Since that time additional cases have been confirmed at Garfield and Carver according to Amber Fitzgerald, EPS Director of Human Resources. The Garfield County Health Department suspects there could be as many as 3 dozen more cases.
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To help combat the spread, Evans Drug and Hospice Circle of Love, teamed up to provide MMR vaccinations for Enid Public School faculty, teachers and family. The high volume of calls and questions from teachers alerted Kyle Whitehead, owner of Evans Pharmacy, that the concerns needed to be addressed.
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Evans Drug and Enid Public Schools went to work setting up vaccination clinics at a couple of the schools including Enid High. Hospice Director, Chad Caldwell, said Hospice Circle of Love was providing the nursing staff and giving out the shots.
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MMR shots were given to EPS members that stopped by the clinics on Friday afternoon. Even the media members that dropped by to cover the story were talked into getting the MMR booster. Yours truly received the vaccine as did Enid News & Eagle photographer, Bonnie Vculek (pictured above). One of the nurses even volunteered to hold my hand.
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It is being suggested that if you were born before 1979 and have not had mumps, measles and rubella, you should get the booster. The nurses on hand were quick to point out, when in doubt get the shot. The MMR vaccine protects you against measles, mumps and rubella.
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According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services children should receive two doses of the MMR vaccine by the time they turn 6-years-old. Adults born after 1956 who are 18 years of age or older are recommended to get a booster or prove they have had all three diseases.
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The MMR vaccine is available at Evans Drug for $70 out-of-pocket but they will help you file it on your insurance plan as well. The MMR vaccine is also available at Garfield County Health Department.
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The mumps virus can take up to 2 weeks before symptoms appear after you've been infected. Symptoms are contagious and usually last over 5 days. If you're infected you may show signs of swollen cheeks and salivary glands. You may also have a headache, lose your appetite, have a fever and experience muscle pain.
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These diseases spread from person to person through the air and saliva. You can easily catch them by being around someone who is already infected. Coughing, sneezing and touching items with infected hands help spread the virus.
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While there are risks to taking any vaccine, the risk of MMR vaccine is much safer than getting measles, mumps or rubella. The risk of MMR vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small according to the literature put out by the Centers for Disease Control. Learn more at www.cdc.gov/vaccines.
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More Mumps information from the CDC.
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