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The Department of Health states six people in Hawaii County have been diagnosed with mumps in the past week, adding to this year’s statewide outbreak of the infection.
West Hawaii Today reports that two Big Island schools alerted families that their community was affected, but neither said whether the sick person is a student or staff member.
Those schools are West Hawaii Explorations Academy and Keonepoko Elementary School in Pahoa.
Hawaii county had just two confirmed cases from 2007-16, but is up to 72 this year. Statewide, Hawaii had a total of 636 cases this year as of Nov. 30. The state had 10 or fewer cases per year in each year since 2007.
State epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said the number of cases in 2017 has no comparison to any other year.
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