Idaho’s Latah County sees spike in mumps cases

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Health officials say there are 10 laboratory confirmed cases of mumps in Latah County and another 20 possible cases, a high number for the area.

“This is very unusual for us,” said epidemiologist and registered nurse Anna Olson, adding it’s rare for the North Central District of Idaho Public Health to see any cases.

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News reported the cases include an elementary student as well as several college-aged students.

Mumps first appeared in 2014 on the Palouse in October, when two University of Idaho students were found to have the virus, followed by one Moscow elementary school student and several more UI students.

“The mumps vaccination won’t work on 100 percent of the population,” Olson said. “That explains some of the cases.”

Greg Tatham, assistant vice provost for student affairs at UI, has been working with Public Health to raise awareness with students through a health and hygiene campaign. The discussions aim to reduce the virus’ spread through things like hand washing, sanitizing surface areas and not sharing dishes or cutlery.