Health officials with the City of Houston and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez have confirmed an outbreak of mumps at the Harris County Jail.
Dr. David Persse with the city said there are seven confirmed cases of mumps they are dealing with. Six of those cases are inmates, and one is a staff member. Persse also said there are seven more possible cases, and they are waiting for test results to come back.
“The first case popped up in mid-May. There were no new cases until the last week or so. That fits exactly what we would expect for the natural incubation period for mumps,” Persse explained.
Persse and other officials say they have no reason to believe that the outbreak has spread beyond the jail, meaning there is no threat to the public.