FAYETTEVILLE — The total number of mumps cases has climbed to 26 since September, a state Department of Health spokeswoman said.
On Nov. 25, the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville announced nine confirmed cases of mumps on campus.
For the month, a total of 20 cases were identified, said Danyelle McNeill, a spokeswoman for the state health department.
"According to Dr. Joel Tumlison, physician specialist in our outbreak response section, 25 of the 26 mumps cases have been verified as having been fully vaccinated. We don’t have records on the 26th yet,” McNeill said in an email.
The 26 cases are all tied to the UA campus, while elsewhere the state “apparently had a few cases” since September, McNeill said. She said no totals for those cases were available.
There is no treatment for the viral illness, which can be spread through direct contact with saliva or respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing.
The disease can result in serious complications but most people recover completely, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state had an outbreak of mumps in 2016 and 2017, with nearly 3,000 cases, according to the Health Department.
No information was immediately available about whether the recent cases involved people who had received the recommended vaccinations.
The confirmed cases last month led to new requirements for UA students and a push to have more vaccinated.
Students without the recommended two-doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine were required to be vaccinated immediately or be excluded from classes until there were no new mumps cases on campus, according to a public health directive from the state Department of Health.
Zac Brown, a UA spokesman, said last month that more than 99% of UA students had the recommended two MMR vaccinations. Under state law, schools have vaccination requirements for students, but the law also allows for exemptions for medical, religious or philosophical reasons.