The Regional Health Administration of the North (ARS-Norte) announced yesterday that they are investigating a mumps outbreak at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), according to a Portuguese media report (computer translated).

Infographic aimed at college students depicting symptoms of mumps and steps they can take to protect themselves.
Infographic aimed at college students depicting symptoms of mumps and steps they can take to protect themselves.

To date, four confirmed cases have been detected and about a dozen other suspected cases are being investigated.

According to an ARS-Norte statement, “At this time, the team responsible for the investigation of the outbreak, under the coordination of ARS-Norte, is working closely with the different health services and with FEUP in order to know the true size of the outbreak and the Facilitate the implementation of prevention and control measures”.

Measures being taken include educating the public on mumps, close contact surveillance, verification of their vaccination status and update of vaccination where necessary.

“ARS-Norte and FEUP will continue to monitor the evolution of this outbreak and develop the measures considered necessary to control the situation,” the statement said.

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Mumps is an acute viral illness. The infection can be easily spread from person to person by direct contact with saliva or droplets of saliva (e.g. via coughs and sneezes) from an infected individual. The signs, symptoms and complications of mumps include:

Signs and Symptoms

  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Swelling of salivary glands on one or both sides of the face

The infection usually passes within a week or two without causing any further problems but it can sometimes lead to complications.

Complications (infrequent)

  • Meningitis
  • Deafness
  • Swelling of testes or ovaries
  • Inflammation of the pancreas

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