In a follow-up on the mumps outbreak at Temple University, school health officials now report 15 confirmed cases of mumps and 59 probable cases.

Next week, Temple Student and Employee Health Services (SHS) will offer walk-in clinics at which the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine will be available at no charge. No appointments are necessary. Upon presentation of a current OWLcard, all Temple students, faculty and staff are eligible for the MMR vaccine.

The clinics—offered in conjunction with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH)—will be held in Mitten Hall’s Great Court Wednesday, March 27, and Friday, March 29, from 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

A Change.org petition is calling for the temporary closure of the university due to the outbreak:

There is clearly a mumps outbreak at Temple University, with the number of infected people in the Temple community increasing almost daily.  It is time that Temple takes the necessary action to halt the outbreak before this epidemic becomes unmanageable.

As of this writing, 10.5K signatures have been garnered.

Mumps is a highly infectious disease passed through saliva and respiratory secretions. While the incubation period is 12 to 25 days, symptoms often appear 16 to 18 days after exposure.

The symptoms for the mumps are similar to influenza (the flu) and often include tender swollen glands below the ear and along the jawline on one or both sides of the face and neck, headache, fever and cold-like symptoms. People with mumps are considered infectious from two days before swelling begins through five days after the start of swelling.

Image/Alaska DHHS
Image/Alaska DHHS