Vials of Priorix, Synflorix and Hexyon children's vaccines, which combat diseases incuding mealses, mumps, rubella and chicken pox, stand on February 26, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
MOUNT PLEASANT, Utah — Two cases of the mumps in Sanpete County have unvaccinated and exempted students out of class throughout the North Sanpete School District. With two confirmed cases and health officials waiting for the result of a third suspected case, the district is telling parents to keep their students home to prevent a mumps outbreak.
As a result of this outbreak, the Central Utah Health District is telling parents in the North Sanpete School District can’t send kids to school or school activities if they haven’t been vaccinated. KSL has confirmed that this does not apply to students in the South Sanpete School District.
North Sanpete School District Superintendent Sam Ray wouldn’t say for sure which school within his district had the case of mumps but did say that North Sanpete High School is “involved” and is worried more students might come down with this highly contagious disease.
“We’re approaching 10% of our students that weren’t current with their MMR vaccinations, or at least we didn’t have records of them being current on their MMR. And we have almost double that who have a waiver.”
Ray said that some of the parents signed the waiver of immunization just because they want their kids in school and didn’t have access to the paperwork, but that paperwork proving that their children have had the MMR shot is going to be the key to get them back into class.
If the students haven’t been vaccinated or can’t show proof of their vaccination they won’t be allowed back into class until May 5th, 26 days after the last outbreak.
That might not be all of them though; state law allows for parents to claim the exemption for reasons of conscience.
The Central Utah Health Department is holding an MMR vaccine clinic from 8:30 to 11:30 AM Tuesday at the Health Department which is located behind the City Hall in Mount Pleasant and students can return to school immediately after their vaccination.