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MOUNT PLEASANT – Health officials in central Utah confirm that new cases of mumps have been identified in Sanpete County.
Initially, in two confirmed cases and one suspect, there are now six confirmed patients and five additional cases.
Although health officials do not publish specific details, they say the new cases remain confined to the north end of the county.
The epidemic has already forced the North Sanpete School District to keep unvaccinated students at home since mid-April.
"We understand that there is still a confirmed case in our district," said Superintendent Sam Ray of the North Sanpete School District.
He added that since the outbreak of mumps had been reported for the first time on April 10, the district had followed the recommendation of the Department of Health to keep all unvaccinated students or those who were n & # 39; 39 had no vaccinated vaccination records.
Originally, this represented 10% of students, but many of the "exempt" students are now back in class.
"We actually have quite a few children who have been vaccinated, but the parents did not have the records when they registered them and their parents identified them as exempt, so these parents have brought the records, "said Ray. We have some who left and were vaccinated. So we reduced that number by half. "
For students who have not been able to attend school, especially those in Grades 7 to 12, they use the iPads provided by the school to do their work in the classroom through the district's online system. .
"Technology really helps students stay up-to-date in their classes and not be caught off guard. We have tried to take advantage of this technology to help them catch up. We know that it is not perfect. We are doing what we can to help these families, "he added.
The exposure period of this 26-day mumps outbreak ending in the district on May 5, unvaccinated students will be allowed to resume their studies on Monday, May 6.
"We are following what the Ministry of Health has told us to do and we are trying to make sure we take care of the children and families we serve," Ray said.
Health officials said unvaccinated people could still receive the vaccine from their health care provider or local health department, which would help them provide some protection for the duration of the epidemic .
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