COOPER CITY, FLA. (WSVN) - The administration of a middle school in Broward County sent children home with a notice confirming there was a case of mumps in the school.
Parents of Pioneer Middle School in Cooper City received a letter informing them that there has been a confirmed case of the mumps, Friday.
Johnethia Myers’ son is a sixth grader at Pioneer Middle School.
“It was kind of alarming, you know, because I did work in pediatrics before, and I’ve seen a lot of cases of the mumps. It don’t go too well,” said Myers.
The notice did not specify whether the infected person was a student or a staff member.
“It’s just really scary because we vaccinate our kids, and they make us bring vaccination records and stuff like this happens,” said Myers. “It’s just kind of scary as a parent because you don’t want them to get sick.”
Mumps is highly contagious, is easily spread and is caused by a virus.
Dr. Francis Amador with Broward Health said the best way to reduce the risk of catching the mumps is by getting vaccinated.
“We highly recommend vaccinations,” said Amador. “It’s been proven that two doses of the MMR vaccination reduce the potential of getting sick by 88 percent.”
The letter also included signs and symptoms that parents should look for.
Some of the symptoms include:
– Fever
– Feeling weak
– Swelling and tenderness or pain in the neck area
– Loss of appetite
Besides getting vaccinated, Dr. Amador said other ways to avoid getting the viral infection is by avoiding someone coughing or sneezing near you, wash your hands, and wear a mask.
“Also, the incubation period, which is the time where you can have the infection brewing in your body before having symptoms is two to three weeks,” said Amador. “It can even be longer, but two to three weeks is the average.”
Myers said she does her part to try to make sure her son doesn’t get sick.
“He carries like a big huge hand sanitizer in his pocket, and I give him Clorox wipes and stuff in his book bag. I’m very particular about stuff.”
Dr. Amador said if someone contracts mumps, they should stay home for five to seven days after they get symptoms.
The school’s principal wrote in part, “Any student presenting with these signs and symptoms will be excluded from school. Students must have a note from a healthcare provider stating they are no longer contagious in order to return to school.”
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