Mumps: six classes at SK Bukit Sentosa to close for 14 days

SHAH ALAM,  Nov 9  (Bernama) -- Six classes at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Sentosa in Rawang have been ordered to close for 14 days from yesterday following the spread of mumps among students at the school.

Selangor Health director Datuk Dr Khalid Ibrahim said the classes were ordered to close to facilitate  epidemic infection control and disinfection cleansing measures.

 He said the department received a report yesterday on 14 students, aged between 10 and 12, at the school down with mumps.

All of them were given out-patient treatment and reported to be in stable condition, he said in a statement today.

Dr Khalid said mumps is caused by Paramyxovirus virus infection where patients would have fever, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, loss of appetite and swelling, as well as pain, at the parotid glands (saliva glands).

He said mumps is an airborne virus and spread through droplets of contaminated saliva or contact with contaminated objects.

“Those infected will usually take two to three weeks to recover,” he said, adding that immunisation against mumps had been given in the country since 2002 in the form of the three-pronged Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

He advised students with symptoms of mumps to not go to school to avoid spreading the disease to others.

-- BERNAMA