BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The number of students with mumps at the Indiana University campus in Bloomington is now seventeen.
Nine of those cases are linked to one fraternity, according to university spokesperson Chuck Carney. Carney said the Monroe County Health Department set up a clinic in that fraternity and more than half received additional booster vaccines.
Mumps is a rare viral infection that causes painful swelling in the salivary glands. It can spread easilly through saliva, coughing and sneezing, or touching a contaminated surface.
University spokesperson Chuck Carney said the school is taking all precautions.
“We’re trying to be as proactive as we can be. We’re reminding students that, if they feel sick, they should stay home and avoid contact with others,” Carney said.
IU health managers say at least 14 of the sick students who came down with the mumps were vaccinated. Indiana law requires students who attend state-sponsored schools to be vaccinated for mumps.
“Any student coming to Indiana University does have to have two doses of the MMR vaccine, but it is possible to still get the mumps even with having been vaccinated,” Carney said.
Carney said he expects to see more mumps diagnoses before the end of the spring semester. The spring semester and 2018-19 academic year ends Friday, May 3.
(Photo by MediNews Group/Getty.)
