Collegiate Times

It?s not Ebola, AIDS or bird flu, but for many college students, mumps can be far more threatening, potentially causing days of lost class time and possibly resulting in far worse consequences.

Mumps may not be on the minds of most students, but it is for medical health professionals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who have been dealing with a global outbreak of the disease since late 2005. The outbreak, which began in the United Kingdom in 2004, has since involved more than 70,000 patients in that country alone. In early 2006, the disease spread to Iowa, where the British strain of the disease appeared at the University of Iowa.

Since December, over 1,600 cases of mumps have been reported in the state, with confirmed cases being reported in neighboring states ? mostly on college campuses. The average number of cases per year is 251. Kansas has reported 546 cases, Nebraska, 273 and South Dakota 92. Neighboring states like Kentucky (two cases) and North Carolina (one case) have also reported cases of the disease. The state of Virginia has reported 39 cases of mumps so far this year, according to a Virginia Department of Health report released June 11. There were only two reported cases in Virginia during the entire year of 2005, nearly a 2,000 percent increase.

That figure may be misleading, says Katherine McCombs, epidemiologist for the Virginia Department of Health?s southwest region, which includes Virginia Tech. ?When you have attention drawn to an outbreak ? as was done with the outbreak in the Midwest, physicians are more likely to diagnose and report the disease. Physicians in past years may have diagnosed more cases, but simply didn?t know there was a way to report them. There?s often no way to determine past cases.?

Still, that perceived explosion in the number of cases prompted Schiffert Health Center officials to send an email warning to Tech students last week. The warning states that if mumps is discovered on campus, susceptible individuals will be prohibited from attending classes or participating in events on campus. Susceptible individuals include those students and staff who have not received two doses of the vaccine or have not turned in their vaccination forms at the Health Center.

?College campuses, particularly residence halls, are prone to disease. We want all our students to be aware of the danger ? and take precautions,? said Mark Owczarski, a spokesperson for the university. ?The warning was a team effort ? Schiffert (Health Center) is our liaison with the CDC and the state health community,? he said.

Mumps is a virus spread by saliva and airborne droplets, or by infected material, such as blankets. It can be transmitted through the air by means of a cough or a sneeze, and infected individuals are typically instructed to stay at home until the disease runs its course. College students living in dorms and apartments are particularly vulnerable, due to the close-quarters living environment and shared bathroom facilities and drinking glasses.

The MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccination is administered to children over 12 months old, and all students attending Virginia Tech are required to have the immunization before enrolling, unless granted an exemption for religious or health reasons. The immunization is somewhere between 80 to 95 percent effective, not including a small percentage of individuals who are immune to the vaccine.

?The best thing (to prevent mumps) is the MMR vaccination, but even that isn?t completely effective,? said Kanitta Charoensiri, a doctor at Schiffert Health Center. ?You really should know what your immunization status is. ? One shot is not enough to immunize someone ? students should have two shots (of the vaccine).?

McCombs agrees with that assessment. ?The CDC suggests a booster vaccine ? college students are particularly vulnerable, and should receive a booster (on top of) the two immunizations,? she said.

Symptoms usually begin with a swelling of the glands in the neck, occurring usually 16 to 18 days after first exposure. Headache, fever and vomiting may follow, mostly lasting less than nine days. There is a small chance that an infected patient can develop viral meningitis, which could result in death. There is also a small chance of sterility in adults who contract the disease.

Doctors recommend that any student exposed to the virus watch closely for symptoms. If they develop, students are advised to contact the Schiffert Health Center Clinic at (540) 231-8105.

?We have immunization clinics here at Schiffert in July ? they do give the vaccine,? said Charoensiri.

The clinics, run by Intravene, a private company, are offered Tuesday through Friday on the second floor of Schiffert, according to the company?s website. The Measles/Mumps/Rubella vaccine will cost $45.

?If we do identify a case here in Blacksburg, we will begin a series of quarantine procedures outlined by the CDC. If an outbreak does happen, Virginia Tech will be prepared,? said Owczarski.