[ad_1]
Credit: Jess Tan
An outbreak of mumps at Temple University has sickened 86 students since late February, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
As of March 21st, the Philadelphia Department of Health had confirmed 16 cases of mumps at Temple and reported 70 probable cases. In order to reduce the risk of worsening the outbreak, Temple will organize two free clinics to administer the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to students, faculty and staff. Temple is also updating its vaccination protocols to require students to be vaccinated before enrolling, the Inquirer said.
Mumps is a contagious viral disease that is usually spread through saliva, for example by sharing food or drink. Fever, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite and swelling of the salivary glands can be avoided. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine can be prevented with two vaccines given at 88%. The CDC recommends that, during an outbreak, people at increased risk of contracting mumps receive a third dose of the vaccine.
The free vaccination clinics in Temple will be held throughout the day on Wednesday, March 27 and Friday, March 29, the Inquirer reported.
"We encourage those who received both MMR vaccines to get the recall," said Ray Betzner, Associate Vice President of the Temple for Marketing and Strategic Communications, CNN.
CNN reported that a group of temple students had filed a motion requesting the cancellation of classes until the end of the outbreak, thereby obtaining more than 10,000 signatures. However, university officials said they did not consider this, as health ministry officials said it would not contribute to the epidemic.
In recent days, the outbreak of mumps has also spread to Philadelphia. The University of Drexel announced Friday that a postgraduate student living off campus had contracted the disease, CBS reported Philly. A possible case has also been identified at Abington High School in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Mumps is a constant concern on college campuses, where close living conditions facilitate the spread of viruses. When a 2006 mumps outbreak was widespread in Pennsylvania, Penn considered similar updates to the University's vaccination protocols. Penn currently requires all full-time students to receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
The year 2016 was marked by a resurgence of mumps in similar facilities, including Harvard and Yale. Penn has not had an epidemic in recent years.
[ad_2]
Source link