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OAN Press Room
UPDATE 11H12 PT – Wednesday 20 March 2019
Health officials in Philadelphia said an additional 13 people had contracted mumps at Temple University, which pushed the count of the outbreak to a new high. The total number of cases now rises to 67.
The outbreak prompted Temple University to change its vaccination policy for new students. The new policy requires them to receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine before entering school.
Dossier – A health worker is preparing syringes, including a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, for child inoculation at the International Community Health Services in Seattle. (AP Photo / Elaine Thompson, File)
Some students have expressed frustration with the spread of infection on campus.
"I feel like crazy, because it could have been avoided simply by having a vaccine," said Ashley Alex, a student at Temple University. "And these are preventable diseases, and I think I have seen someone with mumps walking around."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the vaccine significantly reduces the risk of contracting the virus.
However, as the effectiveness of the vaccine may decrease over time, a booster injection may be necessary to preserve the body's immune defenses. Health officials said it may be for this reason that the number of cases at the university was increasing.
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