According to the Owasso Public School website, this letter is being sent home with Owasso 7th Grade students today:
March 8, 2017
Dear Parents:
Your child has potentially come into contact with a student of Owasso 7thGrade Center who has been diagnosed as having mumps. Mumps is a contagious disease that is spread through the airwhen an infected person coughs or through direct contact with nose and throat secretions of an infected person (i.e., kissing or sharing eating and drinking utensils).
Attached to this letter is a fact sheet about mumps. Persons who have had close, personal contact to a case of mumps or direct contact with saliva have an increased risk of being exposed to the mumps virus and developing illness due to mumps.
A vaccine is available to protect your child against mumps. The Tulsa Health Department recommends that parents follow -up with your child’s healthcare provider to determine if your
child is up-to-date on their mumps vaccination. Children that need to receive the mumps vaccine may get the vaccine from their healthcare provider or the Tulsa Health Department.
If your child is currently ill with mumps, or develops symptoms of mumps (swelling of the saliva glands located on each side of the face, called parotitis) contact your healthcare provider and
Nicole Schlaefli, epidemiologist, at 918-595-4096 immediately.
Children who are sick with mumps or develop symptoms of mumps must not attend child care or school for 5 days after the illness begins.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 918-595-4096 or nschlaefli@tulsa-health.org, or call the Epidemiology Department voicemail line at 918-595-4399.
Calls to the Epidemiology Department voicemail line will be returned within 24 hours.
Please remember that this is a standard public health investigation involving individuals’ personal medical information. We recommend that you do not discuss this information on social media, as that can cause unnecessary concern.
Thank you,
Nicole Schlaefli, MPH
Epidemiologist
Tulsa Health Department
918.595.4069
