Local school officials are monitoring mumps outbreaks in neighboring Arkansas and Texas after being notified of the situation by the state Office of Public Health, according to a story in today’s Daily Advertiser.
The daily reports that although no outbreaks have been reported in Louisiana, up to 1,800 people — most of them children whose parents chose not to have them vaccinated — have been infected in Arkansas. A pair of smaller outbreaks are reported in Texas.
“These outbreaks of mumps in neighboring states should serve as a reminder for families of unimmunized children to consider vaccinating their children,” LPSS said in a statement. “In the case of a local outbreak of mumps, the OPH and the Lafayette Parish School System may exclude non-vaccinated, exposed individuals from attending school.”
Herd immunity.
Read more here.