Out of the 189 athletes and officials who will be sent to Yap for the Micronesian Games, only 28 need to get Mumps immunization, according to Palau National Olympic Committee (PNOC) Secretary General and Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Baklai Temengil-Chilton.
The rest of the athletes have updated immunization shots.
Yap, which will be hosting the Micronesian Games slated July 15 to 28, had issued a mumps alert travel advisory through its Department of Health Services (DHS)two months before the actual hosting of the sports events.
Mumps, which is caused by virus, is contagious and it affects the salivary glands. Mumps can be transmitted from one person to another through saliva, nasal secretions, and close personal contact. It is reportedly considered as one of the most infectious diseases in the Pacific.
In a report, it was stated that there had already been one confirmed mumps case in Yap and several more individuals were suspected of carrying the mumps virus. (Rhealyn C. Pojas)