8 cases of mumps reported at McHenry County Jail, The Levelling Church, Crystal Lake



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WOODSTOCK, Ill. –

Health officials are investigating an outbreak of mumps in McHenry County.

The authorities are trying to determine if there is a link between the eight cases diagnosed so far: six at The Rising Church in Crystal Lake and two in McHenry County Jail in Woodstock. Health officials said that they were all men.

"The only link we are aware of is that the church does the ministry work in the institution, so it's under research, whether they're really related or not said Susan Karras of the McHenry County Health Department. know if they brought them or they had them to the prison and took it out. "

The first case began on January 6 and the last on February 16. Mumps is a highly contagious disease that is easily transmitted in overcrowded environments.

Although most have been eradicated since the availability of the MMR vaccine in 1967, the number of cases has increased slightly in recent years. In December, Lewis University of Romeoville reported the presence of 15 cases on campus.

"There is no treatment for this, you let it take its course Most people recover from a case of mumps It is a preventable disease by vaccination. We therefore encourage people to get vaccinated against mumps, "said Karras.

There may still be additional unconfirmed cases. The Ministry of Health announced Wednesday that it was considering blood tests in the prison and in the community to determine if this mumps outbreak continues to spread.

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