DILLON, Colo. (AP) - The number of confirmed cases of mumps at a Colorado ski resort has risen to 26, an outbreak that now includes two people who aren’t employees of the resort, health officials said.
As of Thursday, two dozen of those infected were Keystone Resort employees and two were non-employees, according to The Summit Daily News.
Summit County health officials are investigating how the non-employees were infected, but said the risk of infection to resort guests and the larger community is low and limited to people who come in close physical contact with someone who is infected.
The outbreak began on Feb. 2 with three cases reported.
Last year, there was a total of 67 mumps cases in all of Colorado.
Mumps is a contagious viral disease that causes pain and swelling in the salivary glands in the cheeks, along with fever and fatigue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The illness spreads through saliva and can be contracted through kissing, coughing, sneezing, or touching contaminated surfaces.
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