Texas health officials have warned up to tens of thousands of cheerleaders that they may have been exposed to the mumps last month at a national competition in Dallas.
After learning that someone with the illness had attended the National Cheerleaders Association All-Star National Championship, health officials sent a letter warning about possible exposure, a spokesman for the Department of State Health Services, Chris Van Deusen, told The Washington Post.
Van Deusen said that the patient had traveled from another state and that, since the competition, there have been no reports in Texas of people developing the mumps in connection with the case. He also said the department had not received reports of cases in other states but acknowledged that the “incubation period” is coming to an end.
“The next few days will probably be telling,” he said.
Van Deusen said participants have been advised to watch for symptoms of the virus.
Officials with the National Cheerleaders Association could not immediately be reached for comment.
The association said on Twitter that more than 23,000 athletes and 2,600 coaches participated in the competition from Feb. 23 to 25 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
They traveled from 39 states and nine countries, according to the organization.
The letter to participants, which was sent Friday, advised them about the situation and provided details about the mumps and its symptoms.
“If you, your child, or any other individuals linked to this event experience or have experienced mumps symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider and inform them of your exposure to mumps,” Antonio Aragon, a state health official, wrote in the letter.
Mumps is a contagious virus that causes the salivary glands in the face to become swollen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms can include fever, headache and muscle aches, as well as a swollen jaw and cheeks, and typically occur 16 to 18 days after a person contracts the virus, according to the CDC.
The Mayo Clinic states that the virus is spread by saliva — by “breathing in saliva droplets of an infected person who has just sneezed or coughed” or from “sharing utensils or cups with someone who has mumps.”
SOURCE: WASHINGTONPOST
