No Mumps Cases At Plano Schools, Officials Report

PLANO, IL – Plano School District 88 officials reached out to families Friday, announcing that students who recently shared they were possibly exposed to mumps were found not to have the virus. According to the school district's Facebook page, administration members and health offices have been in "continual contact" with school community members, local physicians, and the Kendall County and Illinois Departments of Health following news of possible cases.

The district was reportedly notified by Kendall County and state health officials that a student at Plano High School who possibly had mumps and a student at Centennial Elementary School who was possibly exposed were found to not have the virus.

More:

• Mumps Reported At Romeoville Elementary School
• 8 Mumps Cases Identified At 2 McHenry County Locations: MCDH

The district asks anyone with questions to please contact Sue Gerardot, District 88 Health Coordinator at 630-552-3178 or your child’s principal.

Recent mumps cases

A Romeoville mumps case was confirmed at R.C. Hill last month, followed by three more cases reported at the same campus, along with Brooks Middle School in Bolingbrook and the district's Early Childhood Center in Romeoville.

The Valley View cases come two months after an outbreak on the Lewis University campus in Romeoville with at least 10 confirmed and probable cases.

A probable case of mumps was also reported last week at Will County School District 92 in Lockport. The Romeoville and Lockport cases aren't the only ones reported recently in the area.

In January, a probable case of mumps was reported at Goodings Grove Elementary School in Homer Glen. Before that, a case was also reported at Lockport Township High School. Also in December, probable and confirmed cases were reported at Columbia College and Loyola University.

At Lewis University, the December outbreak prompted multiple events to be canceled and rescheduled, and pushed December graduation ceremonies back until May.

What is mumps?

Mumps is spread by droplets of saliva or mucous from the mouth, nose or throat of an infected person, usually when the person coughs, sneezes or talks. It can also be spread by items used by an infected person such as cups or soft drink cans, especially if those items are shared.

Symptoms include:

• Swollen or painful salivary glands under the ears or jaw, or on the cheeks
• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Tiredness
• Loss of appetite
• Swollen and tender salivary glands under the ears on one or both sides.

Mumps symptoms typically appear 16 to 18 days after infection, and while some people who get it have very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, in others it can cause potentially serious complications, according to the CDC.

Complications are more likely to arise in adults, including inflammation in the testicles that can lead to infertility, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), meningitis, inflammation of the ovaries or breast tissue, and even deafness.

Anyone with symptoms should notify their doctor immediately. People who contract mumps should stay home for five days after the swelling of salivary glands begins. Children who have fevers should not be treated with products containing aspirin, according to R.C. Hill's school nurse, as use of products containing aspirin for viral infections like mumps could result in a serious condition called Reye syndrome.