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Cheerleaders At National Competition In Dallas Could Have Been Exposed To The Mumps

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Texas health officials are warning athletes and their parents who attended a cheerleading competition in Dallas last month of possible exposure to the mumps.

In a letter sent Friday, the Texas Department of State Health Services says a person with the mumps could have spread the viral illness at the National Cheerleaders Association All-Star National Championship, held Feb. 23 through Feb. 25 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

A spokesman from the state health department told the Dallas Morning News that the person traveled from another state. And no Texas residents have developed mumps in connection with the case.

Still, officials advise people to contact their health care provider if symptoms arise. Many people don’t have symptoms, according to the state health department. They include:

  • Swollen or tender salivary glands, in and around your mouth and throat
  • Swollen or tender testicles
  • Low-grade fever
  • Tiredness
  • Muscle aches

Developing symptoms can take as long as 25 days after a person is infected with mumps, but it happens typically between 14 and 18 days, the health department says.
Mumps is spread through saliva, like when a person with the illness coughs and sneezes, or by sharing cups or utensils with someone who's infected.

People with mumps are contagious three days before to five days after swollen glands appear. Infected people without symptoms may still be able to transmit the virus.

Vaccination is the best protection against the mumps, the health department says, but vaccinated individuals can still become infected.

There is no treatment for mumps, but typical recovery time is a few weeks.