COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Health officials in Boone County says seven suspected cases of mumps have been reported in the Columbia area.

The University of Missouri said in a release Wednesday that the university is helping health officials notify people, including University of Missouri students and visitors, who may have come in contact with people displaying symptoms of mumps.

Mumps, a contagious viral illness, often starts with fever, fatigue and body aches.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says mumps is no longer common in the United States since routine vaccination programs began, though outbreaks do occur.