Three More Suspected Mumps Cases In Valley View: Report

ROMEOVILLE, IL — A week after a case of mumps was confirmed at Valley View's R.C. Hill Elementary School in Romeoville, officials say three more suspected cases have been reported at the same campus, along with Brooks Middle School in Bolingbrook and the district's Early Childhood Center in Romeoville.

Spokesman Jim Blaney told the Herald-News that the three new cases had yet to be confirmed as of Thursday. A lab test will have to be performed to confirm the cases.

In all four cases, the students were reportedly absent from school when suspected diagnoses were made.

In each case, school nurses have to pull the immunization records of every student at that school and notify the parents of non-immunized and immunocompromised students and staff.

Last week, a case was confirmed at R.C. Hill. Blaney told Patch the student in question had not been in school for a week prior to the district learning of the mumps diagnosis.

Recent mumps cases

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.