Since a first-year Engineering student was diagnosed with the mumps, Student Health has contacted 1,149 students who were not protected against the disease by vaccination, or who have incomplete documentation of their vaccination history.
According to University spokesperson Carol Wood, about 300 of these students received vaccinations yesterday at Student Health. Wood added that the administration is strongly encouraging the remainder of the students to either turn in the required documentation or get the requisite shots at Student Health today.
Student Health Director James C. Turner said while 60 percent of the unvaccinated students are graduate and professional students, "40 percent are undergraduates -- most likely first years."
According to Turner, because first years enroll in classes at the end of summer, the Office of the Registrar cannot block them from attending classes if they have not been vaccinated.
Turner said he attributes this high number of unvaccinated students to this policy.
"We actually give students until the middle of October, and we block registrations for January classes in October," Turner said.
This means that students who have not received vaccination or who have incomplete documentation -- such as the 1,100-plus students unaccounted for this year -- can attend classes through December.
Turner added that of these 1,149 students, a mere "25 have exemptions, roughly half being religious exemptions and half being medical."
Those students who are not vaccinated are expected to turn in their health forms today by 5 p.m. They could potentially be barred from Grounds if they do not comply.
"It is not our intent to exclude students from Grounds," Turner said. "Our intent is to look out for the safety and health of the students."
According to Wood, University administrators are continuing to monitor the situation, and are currently relying on aggressive communication in order to get the remaining students to either turn in their vaccination information or receive the requisite shots. Wood said the University is not yet considering barring the remaining students from class.
"We will continue to monitor the situation day by day," she said.
The infected student, Stephanie Paredes, lived in the Fitzhugh dormitory. According to Residence Life Dean Jason Shaffer, Resident Staff is not treating the building's residents any differently than those of other dorms.
"As part of our support for the community, we are just giving general information about what's going on," Shaffer said, adding that Residence Life is not responsible for contacting Fitzhugh residents who may have been in contact with Paredes.
There are "other people outside of U.Va. who are getting in touch with individuals who would have been in close proximity to the person who has the case of Mumps," Shaffer said.
According to Joy Arcangeli, a resident advisor in Echols dorm, the RA's responsibilities only extend to making sure that unvaccinated students comply with Student Health's policy and receive treatment.
"They all received e-mails telling them they hadn't filed the paperwork," she said. "We were responsible for making sure that they followed through on that."
Arcangeli added that her residents were more concerned about contracting Meningitis.
Students can receive shots today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Health building.
According to Turner, no one else has been diagnosed with the mumps, and there have not been any convincing symptoms which would suggest another case.
"I am not sensing any panic, and there's no reason to panic," Turner said.
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