Possible cases of mumps in a family is being investigated on Fort Campbell and officials are working to warn citizens that may have been exposed to the virus.
According to a news release from Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, lab tests have been sent to the Tennessee Department of Health to determine if the case is mumps positive. In the meantime, people are being notified as a precaution to limit possible exposure. One of the family members attended an elementary school on post and medical officials are working with the school to notify parents of students who may have been exposed. Each family will receive a letter and a fact sheet with symptoms to look for and measures to take if the virus is suspected.
Chief of Public Health Nursing Major Simone Edwards says, “Mumps is a self-limited and mild disease caused by a virus. It typically starts with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite, followed by swollen salivary glands. Most people who get mumps recover completely in a few weeks, but it is highly contagious among the unvaccinated and in close-quarters so we feel it’s best to take preventive measures as we await the test results from the state health department.”
Results could take several days to return.