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HONOLULU – The state of outbreaks of mumps has ended, Hawaii health officials said.
More than 1,000 people have been identified with mumps since the beginning of the month of March 2017, with two clusters of cases involving nine people on Oahu, the state Department of Health said Tuesday.
"We are able to declare that the total incubation periods for the illness," said Dr. Sarah Park, the state epidemiologist.
Symptoms of the contagious disease include fever, headache, tiredness, and swelling of the salivary tassels, resulting in a swollen jaw, according to the department. It can also cause complications, especially in adults, leading to meningitis, brain swelling or deafness.
The symptoms usually appear more than two weeks after infection. It spreads through saliva or mucus from an infected person's coughing, sneezing, or sharing items like utensil or cups. Most people recover in a few weeks, according to the department.
State health officials recommend that all children receive routine measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
"To curb the number of people getting sick, we recommend an additional MMR vaccine dose especially for adolescents and adults," Park said. "We appreciate the public and our healthcare providers and their vigilance."
The number of U.S. mumps cases increased significantly from 6,000 from 2016 to 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since the beginning of this year, Alaska, California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.
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