DOUGLAS, Ariz. (AP) — Cochise County in southern Arizona is urging parents to vaccinate children after a confirmed case of mumps there.
Mumps spreads through the air by coughs or contact with infected secretions from the mouth, nose or throat, and it can also spread when contact is made with the infected person’s saliva.
A lab confirmed a case of mumps in an unvaccinated child from a local elementary school on Thursday. The child is recovering.
The county says concerned parents can look out for symptoms like swelling and tenderness of the neck and jaw.
The number of cases of mumps has dropped by 99 percent since vaccinations began in 1967.
