The UCO Student Health Center is working closely with the Oklahoma State and County Health Departments. Please call the Student Health Center at 974-2317 should you experience any symptoms or desire vaccination. Even if you are treated by your family physician, please notify the Student Health Center of your symptoms. Mumps is a mandatory state health reportable disease.
For a joint statement from the American College Health
Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), visit the
"Latest News & Updates" area of the ACHA website at
http://www.acha.org/news.cfm
This is an official Reportable Health Information and Notification
Subject: Mumps Outbreak
Since January of this year the state of Iowa has been experiencing an outbreak of mumps, a generally mild viral infection of the salivary glands that can lead to serious complications such as encephalitis. As of Thursday, April 6, 2006, a total of 365 cases of mumps have been reported in Iowa and cases are beginning to spread to neighboring states.
Because this outbreak has disproportionately affected college students, the Oklahoma State Department of Health is encouraging all institutions of higher education to help prevent a similar outbreak in Oklahoma by informing students, faculty and staff of the risk of mumps and the need for vaccination by distributing the Notice and Mumps Fact Sheet.
BACKGROUND:
The State of Iowa has been experiencing a large outbreak of mumps that began in December 2005. As of April 12, 2006, 605 suspect, probable and confirmed cases have been reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health. The majority of cases are occurring among persons 18-25 years of age, many of whom are vaccinated and are on college campuses. The first reported cases in Iowa were among college students and mumps cases have been identified in college students in at least one other state. Cases of mumps are under investigation in 8 neighboring states, including Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Although the source of the current US outbreak is unknown, the mumps viral strain has been identified as genotype G, a common genotype circulating in the United Kingdom (UK) and globally. A large outbreak is ongoing in the UK primarily affecting unvaccinated young adults.
Mumps Disease
Mumps is an acute viral infection characterized by a non-specific prodrome including myalgia, general body aching, flu-like symptoms, loss of appetite, anorexia, headache and fever, followed by acute onset of unilateral or bilateral tender swelling of salivary glands – usually neck and throat areas. However, 20% of the population may not have typical symptoms, except flu-like symptoms. Complications of mumps infection can include deafness, orchitis, oophoritis, or mastitis (inflammation of the testicles, ovaries, or breasts respectively), pancreatitis, meningitis/encephalitis and spontaneous abortion. With the exception of deafness, these complications are more common among adults than children.
Transmission of mumps virus occurs by direct contact with respiratory droplets and saliva between 2 and 7 days before symptoms. Post-high school educational institutions such as colleges and universities are at increased risk for mumps transmission because these communities are highly mobile yet tend to concentrate large numbers of persons in living, learning, and social environments. In addition, interactions of students during sporting or other inter-collegiate events and mass mobilization of students during holidays are opportunities for transmission among college students from geographically diverse parts of the country and world.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Mumps Prevention
Because undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and health care and other workers in colleges and other post-high school educational institutions may be at increased risk of acquiring mumps, they should receive two doses of MMR vaccine or have natural immunity from having mumps as a child. Those individuals falling outside these two categories are at high risk and should take precaution: minimize your exposure to known mumps cases and report any symptoms to the Student Health Center.
Mumps Control
The main strategy for controlling a mumps outbreak is to define the at-risk population and transmission setting, to prevent further transmission of cases through isolation, and to protect susceptible populations with vaccination. Specific recommendations for colleges and other post-high school educational institutions are to:
1. Rapidly identify susceptible persons and vaccinate with up to two doses of MMR.
2. Isolate persons having mumps. (Total of 9 days isolation after symptom onset is very important to prevent transmission on a college campus.).
The UCO Student Health Center is working closely with the Oklahoma State and County Health Departments. Please call the Student Health Center at 974-2317 should you experience any symptoms or desire vaccination. Even if you are treated by your family physician, please notify the Student Health Center of your symptoms. Mumps is a mandatory state health reportable disease.