There have been no new cases of mumps since a laboratory-confirmed case was identified on Northwestern’s Evanston campus earlier this month, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Health officials estimated secondary cases could surface as late as Thursday. IDPH spokeswoman Sabrina Miller said Wednesday none have been reported.
On June 18, the Evanston Health Department said it received a report from the IDPH of a laboratory-confirmed case of mumps involving a “Chicago area university student.” The next day, Northwestern University Health Service said it had learned of a laboratory-confirmed case of mumps on the Evanston campus.
(Mumps case confirmed on Evanston campus)
Anyone who has a vaccination against mumps is highly unlikely to contract it, according to Health Service. Mumps is transferred by saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose or throat of an infected person.
Symptoms of mumps include fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, loss of appetite, and swollen and tended salivary glands under the ears, according to the EHD. Additionally, the EHD said some people who are infected do not exhibit any symptoms, making mumps more difficult to detect.
The department’s Communicable Disease Section can be reached at 847-866-2962.
— Maddie Elkins