Thursday, April 17, 2014
Associated Press
COLUMBUS
Central Ohio officials are warning that children without mumps vaccinations might have to miss weeks of school if an outbreak of the illness hits classrooms.
Officials have confirmed 230 cases of the contagious viral illness in the area this year. They say 145 of those are linked to Ohio State University.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that the health commissioners for Columbus and surrounding Franklin County wrote letters to schools encouraging vaccinations.
The letters also advise parents that unvaccinated students might have to stay home 25 days or longer if clusters of mumps cases begin showing up in schools.
Officials have urged residents of the region to make sure they’ve been inoculated with two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.