Iowa’s first confirmed case of mumps this year has been reported in Black Hawk County. The case was diagnosed by the Iowa Hygienic Laboratory in Oakdale. Health officials have told doctors to be on the lookout for additional cases and have asked the people in close contact with the infected person to check their vaccination history. Mumps is a viral disease that can be spread through the air or by saliva from the infected person. Symptoms include swelling of the checks, a fever, headache, and stiff neck. Mumps is not all that common in Iowa. Only 20 cases have been reported in the state since 1999, including two last year.
