New mumps case in Barrington has no known ties to school
The number of confirmed cases of mumps at Barrington High School remains at two, one short of what the Lake County Health Department considers an outbreak, but health officials said Monday that there is now a confirmed third case in the Barrington community.
Department spokeswoman Leslie Piotrowski said an adult Barrington resident with no known ties to Barrington Area Unit School District 220 has contracted mumps.
Two more suspected cases - an adult from Lake Zurich and a Libertyville High School student - were discovered by the health department Monday.
"To our knowledge they are not linked to the Barrington schools," Piotrowski said.
The health department does not know whether the three people outside the Barrington school system had been immunized, Piotrowski added. People who are current with their vaccinations still might contract mumps because no vaccine is 100 percent effective, she said.
The number of suspected cases of mumps at Barrington High increased Monday from 18 to 19.
In an email to the Barrington 220 community Monday afternoon, Superintendent Brian Harris said the schools will continue to be cleaned each night with special attention to frequently touched surfaces.
"If your student experiences any of the signs and symptoms of mumps disease, please keep them home from school and notify your child's physician as well as the school nurse," Harris wrote.
Viktor Plotkin, supervisor of the health department's communicable disease program, said Friday that a student and one employee at Barrington High have confirmed cases of mumps. The student received proper vaccinations, while the health department is searching for vaccination records of the employee.
Illinois school-age children are required to receive a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination, though exemptions can be obtained for medical or religious reasons. The requirement is for a vaccination shot at age 1 and a booster at ages 4, 5 or 6, officials said.
Thirty students at Barrington High School were not vaccinated for medical or religious reasons during the 2014-2015 school year, the most recent data available from the Illinois State Board of Education. Station and Prairie middle schools had a combined 35 students who were not vaccinated, according to the state. Overall, 98 percent of all Barrington Unit District 220 students were vaccinated.
Mumps is shared through sneezing, coughing and exchanging saliva. Symptoms include swelling or pain close to the jaw on one or both sides of the face.
People with mumps should remain home for five days after the onset of swelling.