Mumps cases confirmed at Fresno jail. Many inmates now under quarantine
A suspected outbreak of mumps at the Fresno County Jail was confirmed Thursday, with the Fresno County Department of Public Health stating 11 people at the jail have contracted the contagious viral infection.
Approximately 300 inmates are being quarantined to keep the disease from spreading to other inmates and jail staff.
The health department and Fresno County Sheriff’s Office are also working together to vaccinate and educate inmates and staff at the jail who may have been exposed to the disease.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said mumps are “best known for the puffy cheeks and tender, swollen jaw that it causes.” Most people with mumps recover completely within two weeks, officials said.
The sheriff’s office announced the possible mumps outbreak Monday, stating that some inmates were being tested for the virus and that many others were placed under quarantine, which started at the end of last week.
“The booking and release process is not being impacted by the virus,” sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said Thursday. “However, Wasco State Prison is not accepting any sentenced inmates into its facility until the quarantine is lifted. …
“At this time, the court is not calling any of the quarantined inmates to the courthouse until the quarantine is lifted. There is an ongoing investigation to try and determine who the original inmate is that contracted the Mumps virus.”
Inmates in the quarantined area are currently being allowed one visitation per week.
The issue came to light when many inmates missed scheduled Monday court appearances because of the quarantine.
Botti said Monday that the jail’s medical provider, Wellpath, was testing several inmates for the virus. Results had not been returned at that time.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the development of the disease, which generally starts with a fever, has been curtailed because of the development of a vaccine. However, mumps can still spread among a group confined in a small area. Even those vaccinated can develop the disease, but symptoms are generally more mild.
As a preventative measure, jail officials placed several pods in the North Jail under quarantine and immunizations are being offered to inmates and jail staff as they become available, Botti said.
Late last year, mumps outbreaks were found at four California prisons. Botti said in light of that, local jail staffers recently received training in spotting symptoms among inmates.
This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 1:05 PM.
