2 suspected cases of mumps at Dayton Children's

Officials at Dayton Children's Hospital believe they have seen two cases of mumps since April. If confirmed by county and state health officials, they will be the first cases the hospital has seen in at least 20 years.
"The Greene County Combined Health District and the Ohio Department of Health have not yet confirmed the cases. At this time one case is considered probable and one case is considered suspect," according to a statement from Dayton Children's Hospital.
Officials are strongly encouraging families to make sure children have the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. 

"Mumps and measles can be prevented by vaccination," said Sherman Alter, MD, medical director of infectious disease at Dayton Children's in a release. "It is extremely important for parents to have their children vaccinated and to check their own vaccination records to ensure immunity. Not having your child vaccinated not only puts your child at risk, but also increases the likelihood of spreading the virus to other children."

The vaccine is given to children around 12-15 months of age, and a second dose is given to children when they are 4 to 6 years old.

Hospital staff and visitors are encouraged to wear a mask if they believe they have symptoms, such as a blotchy rash, fever and cough or swollen neck glands under the ears and a fever.

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