Industry News
There have now been 17 confirmed cases of mumps among Keystone Resort, CO employees. The outbreak, that began in February with three cases, is expected to continue to grow, although health officials are quick to note that the public is not at risk.
“Mumps is not currently circulating in the greater Summit County community, and there is minimal risk to members of the public, including those who visited the ski area,” Summit County Nursing Manager Sara Lopez said.
Lopez added that the county is working to limit the spread of the outbreak by reaching out to people who have “been in close contact with confirmed cases to evaluate their risk of exposure’, and asking employees that have contracted mumps to stay at home, reports the Summit Daily.
“Our recommendation is that when people develop jaw or cheek swelling, that they are to stay home for five days after the onset of that symptom,” Lopez said.
Public Health administered 35 vaccines at a vaccine clinic at Keystone Resort last week. Officials with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Vail Resorts hope to use the clinic as an example for vaccination clinics the resort plans to hold in the future, according to Lopez.
People may want to check their vaccine status to ensure they are protected against mumps. The MMR Vaccine, which covers measles, mumps, and rubella is considered 88 percent effective at preventing mumps from spreading.
Mumps is a viral disease caused by the mumps virus. Initial signs and symptoms often include fever, muscle pain, headache, poor appetite, and feeling generally unwell. This is then usually followed by painful swelling of one or both parotid salivary glands. Symptoms typically occur 16 to 18 days after exposure and resolve after 7 to 10 days. Symptoms are often more severe in adults than in children. About a third of people have mild or no symptoms.
Mumps is highly contagious and spreads rapidly among people living in close quarters. The virus is transmitted by respiratory droplets or direct contact with an infected person. Only humans get and spread the disease. People are infectious from about 7 days before the onset of parotid inflammation to about 8 days after. Once an infection has run its course, a person is typically immune for life.
Last summer an outbreak of mumps in Colorado was traced back to Arapahoe Basin Ski Area.
For more information about mumps, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at www.cdc.gov/mumps. For information about mumps data in Colorado, visit www.colorado.gov/cdphe/mumps.
