Mumps outbreaks extends beyond OSU campus

COLUMBUS (AP) — Health officials in Columbus say an outbreak of the mumps has spread beyond the Ohio State University campus and now includes 56 reported cases.

Columbus Public Health officials today said 40 of the mumps cases have been linked to the outbreak at Ohio State and have occurred in people ages 18 to 48.

The cases outside the university community in Columbus and Franklin County have been reported in people ages 4 to 50.

The health agency urged residents who have not been vaccinated for the mumps to do so.

Mumps is contagious and often starts with fever, fatigue and body aches. It’s spread by droplets of saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose or throat of an infected person, usually when the person coughs, sneezes or talks.