The University Health Center at the University of Maryland at College Park has identified one confirmed and two suspected cases of mumps, according to a notice published Friday.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mumps is a viral illness that is transmitted by direct contact with respiratory droplets or saliva from an infected person. It is best known for painful, swollen salivary glands that show up as puffy cheeks and swollen jaw. Boys may also have painful, swollen testicles. Other symptoms include fever, headache, muscles aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite. There is no treatment, and symptoms usually resolve themselves within a few weeks. Mumps is usually a mild disease in children, but adults may have more serious disease with complications.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms please call the University Health Center at (301) 314-8180 to schedule an appointment to be seen.
The University Health Center says all University of Maryland students are required to be immunized against mumps. Students must provide documentation of (2) Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccinations which provides the highest protection from this disease.
The MMR vaccine is safe and effective, although not 100 percent effective. According to the CDC, two doses of mumps vaccine are 88% (range 66% to 95%) effective at preventing the disease; one dose is 78% range (49% to 91%) effective.
In addition to vaccination, other preventive measures that can be taken to prevent the disease include: Do not share food, drinks, utensils or other personal items that may contain saliva; wash your hands frequently with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available; cover your nose and mouth with a tissue if you sneeze or cough, and discard the tissue after you use it. If a tissue is not available, sneeze or cough into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands; clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that may be contaminated with germs and people with the mumps should stay home, and away from public places for five days after the onset of symptoms and limit contact with others in their household.
Mumps is becoming increasingly more common on college campuses in the United States. The disease has been reported on multiple college campuses in 2016 including the State University of New York at Buffalo,Indiana University, University of Kentucky, University of San Diego, University of Southern Maine, Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire and Harvard University, among others.
2016 has seen the most mumps cases in the US since 2010. Through Aug. 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 1,786 cases.
Related:
- Rift Valley fever outbreak: Red Cross Society of Niger responds
- Colorado: Campylobacter outbreak linked to Larga Vista Ranch raw milk investigated
- Florida DOH: Aerial spraying likely helped interrupt local transmission, 95 locally transmitted cases reported
- Colombo dengue tally tops 13,000
- Jurupa Valley: One child infected with leprosy
