HONOLULU – The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) confirmed 18 new cases of residents with the mumps, raising the total number of statewide cases this year to 172. Nine of the new cases of individuals are adults, the department said in a press release Friday. Twelve of the cases are from Oahu, four are from Kauai and two are from Hawaii Island.
HONOLULU – The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) confirmed 18 new cases of residents with the mumps, raising the total number of statewide cases this year to 172. Nine of the new cases of individuals are adults, the department said in a press release Friday. Twelve of the cases are from Oahu, four are from Kauai and two are from Hawaii Island.
“The important thing for people to remember is to keep their germs to themselves,” said Ronald Balajadia, Immunization Branch Chief, DOH Disease Outbreak Control Division. “We encourage the public to stay home when sick, cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing, wash their hands frequently and make sure they are fully vaccinated.”
DOH urges people to get vaccinated.
The majority of the 172 confirmed cases are on Oahu, with 13 on Kauai and three from Hawaii Island. None of the individuals required hospitalization and all are recovering. DOH expects more cases in the coming weeks as mumps is a highly-contagious disease.