Springboro student tested for suspected mumps case

Health officials should know by the end of the week if a Springboro High School student has mumps, an illness that can spread quickly.

Springboro school parents were notified by e-mail after a student, whose name and grade have not been released, visited a doctor’s office in the city Tuesday with common mumps symptoms, including a fever, headache and swollen glands.

According to Warren County Health Commissioner Duane Stansbury, it has been years since the county has seen a mumps diagnosis, let alone an outbreak originating in Warren County.

In 2014, the state of Ohio accounted for two-thirds of the nation’s recorded cases after an outbreak that began at Ohio State University infected nearly 500 people.

“If you’re a parent or an employee at the school, my recommendation is for you to look into your vaccination history; your family’s vaccination history,” Stansbury said. “It’s never too late to get vaccinated.”

Stansbury said vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the spread of the contagious illness. The state of Ohio requires that all school-aged children receive the measles, mumps and reubella (MMR) vaccine but it is possible to receive an exemption for religious or medical beliefs.

“It is part of an individual’s rights,” said Springboro Community Schools nurse Bronwyn Patterson.

The district could not comment on whether the student at the center of concern was immunized. An infection is possible, Patterson noted, despite receiving the vaccine.

If the case is confirmed, Patterson said parents will receive a second e-mail so they can take necessary steps to protect their children from the infectious disease. “But outside of our policy or protocol, we will still be following what we’ve done up to today,” she said.

According to the CDC, most people with mumps recover completely in a few weeks.

Reporter Layron Livingston contributed to this report.

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