7 Cases Of Mumps Confirmed In The Harris County Jail

HOUSTON — The Houston Public Heath Department has confirmed 7 cases of mumps inside the Harris County Jail. According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, six inmates and one staff member have tested positive for the virus.

"We are going to navigate through this and make sure we are taking every precaution," Gonzalez said.

Jail medical staff first recognized a symptomatic inmate in mid-May. Shortly after, several additional inmates, including two jail staffers, started experiencing symptoms.
The Houston Health Department visited the jail this week to further coordinate response efforts, including the vaccination of jail staff and inmates, and isolation and quarantine guidelines.

READ ALSO: Possible Mumps Outbreak Inside The Harris County Jail

Houston Health Department Director David Persse said he does not believe the virus has spread beyond the county jail.

Persse said they believe that as many as 14 inmates and personnel were exposed to mumps with 7 confirmed.

"Given the inherent nature of a facility like a jail, with lots of people in a relatively small space, it’s not uncommon to see infectious diseases spread in this manner," he said.

Persse said mumps is typically a mild virus that passes within a couple of weeks. However, Persse added that there are instances — as with any illness, where complications can arise, such as infecting other organs, and in some cases the virus resulting in sterility.

The MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine offers safe and long-lasting protection against mumps. Two doses of MMR vaccine are 88% effective against mumps.

"This is a vaccine-preventable illness," he said.

Mumps symptoms include:

• Fever
• Headache
• muscle aches
• loss of appetite
• swollen glands under the ears or jaw.

An infected person can spread mumps by coughing or sneezing and releasing tiny droplets of contaminated saliva, which can then be breathed in by another person.

The Harris County Jail has a capacity of 8,500 inmates, and is almost always close to full.

Chief Darryl Coleman said there are at least 300 inmates inside the jail who have been quarantined.

"Those inmates that are actually showing signs -clinical signs of the mumps virus...have been moved to an individual cell block," Coleman said.

The possibly infected inmates will remain in quarantine until they are medically cleared, Coleman said.

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