Texas' Worst Mumps Outbreak in Years Grows With New Cases in Dallas Area

The number of mumps cases in North Texas has surpassed 50 as an outbreak in Johnson County has grown and cases have been found in Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties.Dallas County's Department of Health and Human Services said in a release Tuesday that 48 cases of mumps have been diagnosed in Johnson County in the past two weeks. Most of the cases there are school-age children from Cleburne and Keene. Health officials said last week that they had traced the virus to an outbreak in Arkansas, where several children from Keene had visited recently.In Dallas County, eight adults have been infected with mumps. Six of the cases were related to a party Oct. 29 in the 75219 ZIP code, officials said, and the other two were related to out-of-state travel or visitors.The entire state of Texas hasn't reported more than 20 cases of mumps in a year since 2011.Dr. Elvin Adams, Johnson County's public-health official, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he doesn't think the virus will infect many more people there."I think we've peaked," he said, adding that it's likely more cases will be diagnosed because of the disease's 16-to-18-day incubation period.Mumps, which is spread through the saliva or mucus of an infected person, is known for its symptoms of puffy cheeks and a swollen jaw and may be accompanied by a fever, aches and fatigue. Some people may remain asymptomatic.There is no treatment for mumps, but most people recover completely in a few weeks.  Continue reading...