BOSTON (WHDH) - The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is warning doctors and other healthcare providers of a mumps outbreak after 12 cases have been reported in greater Boston.

Officials said 12 new cases have been reported since the end of March. The new cases are among adults between the ages of 20 and 41 living in Chelsea, Boston and Revere. The DPH said all the residents are Latino and most are believed to be unvaccinated. None of them are known to have traveled internationally before falling ill.

The DPH said they are investigating the cases and enforcing quarantines to control the spread of mumps.

Mumps is spread through infected respiratory tract secretions among people in close contact. The most common symptom is swelling of the salivary glands but patients may also experience headache and low-grade fever.

Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH, said anyone who thinks they have mumps should stay home and call their doctor. She also recommended the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine for children and adults, calling it “highly protective.”

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