Some Sanpete County schoolchildren

MOUNT PLEASANT, Sanpete County – School officials are asking for information about Sanpete County deals with a mumps outbreak.

There are two confirmed cases of mumps in Sanpete County, according to North Sanpete School District Superintendent Dr. Sam Ray. One of those is a student in the school district, he said.

Another potential mumps case is currently pending while health officials await test results, Ray said.

But this is North Sanpete High School's "involved" in the outbreak.

School officials said they were all parents and employees of the outbreak over the weekend, Ray said.

Students need to get their immunizations up to date or at least start the MMR vaccine process, Ray said. Those who do not get immunized or who have claimed immunization will not be allowed to go back to school for at least 26 days, or until May 5, Ray said.

Parents and students can claim a tax exemption under Utah state law, but the law states that they will not be allowed to go out of their lives, according to Ray.

"We're trying to be helpful as we can to parents," he said.

About 10 percent of North Sanpete High School students do not have their immunizations up to date, Ray said. However, some students may be included in that number because their parents did not provide the proper paperwork to the district to show the student is up to date, he added.

About 20 percent of students at the school have an exemption, according to Ray. Some of the students may have had some mumps, so they are not in need of the vaccine, he said.

Some parents may have asked for an exemption while they were registering their students because they did not have access to immunization.

Some parents have provided the proper paperwork since they have been notified of the weekend, and their students have been allowed back to school, Ray said.

The Sanpete County Health Department will be hosting an MMR vaccine clinic from 8:30 am to 11:30 am Tuesday at the health department, located behind the Mount Pleasant City Hall at 20 S. 100 West, Ray said.

Tuesday's clinic is primarily for people who have never been vaccinated, but Ray said. Vaccines will be available throughout the week at the health department, he added.

The school district is working with health officials at the state and county levels, Ray said.

People who have previously received the MMR vaccine are still getting vaccinations, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Though the vaccine is still occurring, especially in close-knit communities where people have prolonged contact with one another, according to the CDC.