Health Officials: Children Need A Second Mumps Vaccine
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JOHNSON COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - Tonight, health officials in Johnson County are telling parents to go ahead and a get a second mumps vaccine shot for children even if they're pre-K aged.
A school superintendent says he's learned there were 36 reported mumps cases among school-aged children. They are among the 48 who have the mumps in Johnson County. Additionally cases were reported in Dallas, Denton, Tarrant and Collin counties too. But Johnson County is the hardest hit.
At Grumps restaurant in Cleburne employees said they're constantly scrubbing counters and tables. They're using hand sanitizer several times an hour. The mumps has now become a very real fear county-wide.
"I still hear about it on a day-to-day basis," said server Chandler White. "So, the awareness has kind of gone up with it. I think at the start people are saying, 'Oh! It's a hoax. Somebody just might have got it once and they are just exaggerating'. But the more people got it was like, 'oh my God! This is not a hoax.' "
The first signs of a mumps outbreak were sick kids in Keene and Cleburne schools. The superintendent in Keene said the number of sick students in their schools has dropped to just three. They are hoping that it is a sign the mumps outbreak may be finally be contained but they're still very cautious about keeping kids who might have symptoms out of school.
In Dallas, eight adults reported having mumps. Six were all tied to the same Halloween party. But all those adults had been vaccinated. Health officials say it's important adults talk to their doctors about a booster shot.
"In regard to what's going on in Dallas County, we're seeing across the country, the last time we had something similar was back in 2006," said Christopher Perkins with Dallas County Health and Human Services. "So, maybe there might need to be an adjustment to the vaccine regime – or another dose might need to be added later on in childhood or the late teens. And also, we need to remind adults need to be current on their vaccines as well."
