Columbia now has nine confirmed cases of the mumps

More than three weeks after alerting MU students and the public about a possible mumps outbreak, now the number of confirmed reports has jumped to nine, according to the Columbia Boone County Health Department.

The agency has four other suspected cases, and employees are waiting on lab results for several other patients. They first alerted the community about a possible outbreak on Wednesday, July 22. It applies to anyone who might have visited the Mizzou campus recently. Symptoms usually take over two weeks to appear after someone is infected with the virus.

The source of the disease is still unclear. The local health department is encouraging everyone to make sure they are current on all their vaccines. People can still get sick if they are vaccinated, but the symptoms are less severe.

To read more about mumps symptoms, click here.