Mumps cases hit 10-year high with 14 identified

Hawaii is experiencing an unusually high number of cases of mumps, the most in at least a decade, the state Department of Health reported Friday.

What’s more, two clusters of cases have been identified on Oahu, and health officials say more people are likely to come down with the contagious disease in the coming weeks.

“Concurrent clusters are unusual,” said Ron Balajadia, the department’s immunization branch chief.

There have been 14 cases recorded in Hawaii this year, but nine of those — all on Oahu and including both children and adults — have occurred in the last two months. Balajadia declined to say where the clusters are located.

Last year Hawaii saw 10 cases of mumps. But before that, going back to 2007, the most in any single year was five, according to the department.

None of the infected individuals this year has needed hospitalization, officials said.

Balajadia said the department is now working to stop the spread of the disease, talking with doctors’ offices, the stricken and the people they have come in contact with.

Balajadia said mumps is not normally found in the islands and is usually brought to Hawaii by travelers.

Caused by a virus, mumps typically begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and appetite loss followed by swollen salivary glands. Some people with mumps have very mild or no symptoms.

There is no specific treatment for mumps infection, but officials said that while most people will recover completely, mumps can cause complications, especially in adults.

Balajadia said many people think of the mumps as merely a children’s disease, and there’s a real fear that folks won’t take the warning seriously. But the complications can be serious, he said, including encephalitis, meningitis and deafness.

People with mumps are most infectious in the several days before and after the swelling of the salivary glands in front of the ears.

The disease is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or shares items such as cups or utensils. Transmission can also occur when people touch contaminated objects or surfaces and, in turn, touch their eyes, nose or mouth.

The Health Department recommends that people with mumps stay home from school or work for nine days after the onset of swelling to keep from spreading the disease.

“Cases have been reported in vaccinated individuals, but vaccination is still the best protection against this disease,” state Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said in a news release. “We encourage everyone to review their immunization record and talk to their health care provider about mumps vaccination.”

The MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine prevents most, but not all, cases of mumps. Two doses of the vaccine are said to be 88 percent effective at protecting against mumps while one dose is 78 percent effective.

The MMR vaccine is available at local pharmacies. Additional information about mumps can be found on the DOH website at health.hawaii.gov.