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Multiple Mumps cases confirmed among Keystone Resort employees

Nicole Miller
Summit Daily
Post Independent health news graphic

FRISCO — Summit County Public Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have confirmed three cases of mumps among Keystone Resort employees in Summit County.

“We are aware of some mumps cases in Summit County and are working with Summit County Public Health,” Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response communications specialist Shannon Barbare wrote in an email.

Summit County Public Health Nurse Manager Sara Lopez said the number of confirmed cases could change as the investigation continues.



“Public health officials believe there is minimal risk to members of the public who have had interaction with the ski area, and there is currently no known spread into the larger community,” according to a fact sheet emailed to the Summit Daily News by Lopez.

Mumps is a contagious viral disease that causes pain and swelling in the salivary glands in the cheeks, along with fever and fatigue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



The disease spreads through saliva, meaning it can be contracted through kissing, coughing or sneezing, or touching contaminated surfaces. Mumps has an incubation period of 16-18 days and about one-third of people who have the virus don’t have symptoms, making it more difficult to track.

Lopez recommends people check their vaccine status to ensure they are protected against mumps.

Typically, children should receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — one between 12-15 months and one between 4-6 years of age. The vaccine is not 100% effective and can lose efficacy over time, especially for people with compromised immune systems. Adults considered at high risk should get a booster vaccine to bolster immunity if they have not gotten one as an adult, though the vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women.

Adults born before 1957 are considered to be immune to mumps and do not need to be vaccinated, but other adults should make sure they have been vaccinated, according to the fact sheet.

In April and May of 2017, six cases of mumps were confirmed among Arapahoe Basin Ski area employees and people with whom they’d had contact.

Health officials are asking people who have symptoms of mumps to contact their health care provider or call Summit County Public Health at 970-668-9161.

Summit Daily reporter Deepan Dutta contributed to this report.


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