The University of Texas University Health Services has reported two confirmed cases of the viral disease, mumps, in students during the past week.
The first case was reported last Wednesday and students were notified.
University Health Services reported a second case Monday and is believed to be the potential source of the first on-campus diagnosis.
The Daily Texan reports the students are no longer contagious, according to the UHS notification. The University will work with the Austin Travis County Health and Human Services Department to notify close contacts of the second student, including students and instructors in classes with the student.
In 2014, mumps outbreaks hit several college campuses including the University of Idaho, Ohio State University and The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, among others.
Mumps is spread by droplets of saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose, or throat of an infected person, usually when the person coughs, sneezes or talks. Items used by an infected person, such as cups or softdrink cans, can also be contaminated with the virus, which may spread to others if those items are shared.
Symptoms typically appear 16-18 days after infection, but this period can range from 12-25 days after infection. It is usually a mild disease, but can occasionally cause serious complications.
The most common complication is inflammation of the testicles (orchitis) in males who have reached puberty; rarely does this lead to fertility problems. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page.
Other rare complications include inflammation of the brain and/or tissue covering the brain and spinal cord (encephalitis/meningitis), inflammation of the ovaries (oophoritis) and/or breasts (mastitis) in females who have reached puberty and deafness. Anyone who is not immune from either previous mumps infection or from vaccination can get mumps.
In 2014, 1,151 people in the United States have been reported to have mumps, according to the CDC.
