A third-year College student has become the second University student in a week to contract mumps, leading University officials to respond to a possible outbreak.
James Turner, director of the University's Student Health Center, said this recent case was probably not a result of last week's. "[There is] is no relationship at all with last week's [outbreak]," he said.
Mumps is a viral disease that affects many parts of the body, particularly the parotid salivary glands in the area between the ear and jaw of each check. The virus is often spread through saliva and can cause the glands to swell and become painful.
The student "came to Student Health this morning and had eight or nine days of swelling under the chin," Turner said.
This week's infected student, like Stephanie Paredes, who came down with an infection this weekend, had also already recieved a vaccination. This new infection, however, was beyond the contagious period for mumps, which is three to four days before symptoms appear and seven to nine days after.
Turner explained that she was "treated symptomatically" with comfort measures such as mild painkillers and throat lozenges.
University spokesperson Carol Wood stressed the uncertainty of a mumps outbreak.
"They are both probable cases ... that have still not been confirmed," Wood said.
Blood tests from Paderes will be available this week, but her previous vaccination may make the results inconclusive. Still, University administrators are preparing for the worst.
"I suspect this is the beginning of an outbreak," Turner said.
Turner will be having a conference call this morning with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Virginia Department of Health and the local health department to decide on any future steps to be taken.
"A few people around Grounds probably inadvertently spread around mumps," Turner said.
The roomates of the student with the most recent case have been warned, and Turner advised people who haven't turned in their health form or received vaccination "to do it as soon as possible."
"Our goal is full compliance within the week, and we think we're making good progress," Wood said.
After the case reported last Friday, the University informed 1,149 students to complete their vaccination documentation. By the end of yesterday, 278 students had still not turned in completed forms. Eighty students turned in waivers that exempt them from the vaccine on religious or medical grounds.
"[It's] not just a University requirement but a state law that students be inoculated," Wood said. "If students don't have their forms in by second semester, they will be blocked from pre-registration."
"Vaccination is only 95 percent effective," Turner said.
If mumps are contracted, the vaccination can make the symptoms less severe, such as in both the more recent case and Paredes'.
Paredes was in the early stages of symptoms and returned home to recuperate.
"My understanding is she's doing well and recuperating," Woods said.
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