UT-Austin Student Diagnosed With Mumps

AUSTIN, TX — A University of Texas at Austin student was diagnosed with mumps this week, a health official confirmed, prompting school officials to notify those who may have been in contact with the victim.

The diagnosis occurred on Monday, Sherry Bell of University Health Services wrote in an emailed response to a Patch inquiry. Once a confirmation was made, Bell said, health officials took established protocols in response.

"We retraced the student’s activity on campus, and notified students who shared the same classes and others considered close contacts," Bell wrote. "Mumps isn’t an uncommon illness in this population at this time of the year, and University Health Services hasn’t advised UT students, in general, to take any extra precautions against mumps at this time."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mumps is a contagious disease that is caused by a virus. It typically starts with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness along with loss of appetite. Most afflicted people develop swelling of the salivary glands, according to information found on the organization's website. That swelling is what causes the puffy cheeks and a tender, swollen jaw in an affected person, health officials added.

"Even though the vaccine has drastically reduced mumps cases, outbreaks still occur," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials wrote on the organization's website. "Outbreaks have most commonly occurred among groups of people who have prolonged, close contact, such as sharing water bottles or cups, kissing, practicing sports together, or living in close quarters, with a person who has mumps. Some vaccinated people may still get mumps if they are exposed to the virus. However, disease symptoms are milder in vaccinated people."

Mumps remains a common disease in many countries, health officials added. Those not protected against mumps are at risk of getting infected when they travel internationally. As a result, those planning to travel are urged to seek protection against the virus that causes the ailment. To that end:

• Children 12 months of age or older should have two doses of MMR vaccine, separated by at least 28 days.
• Teenagers and adults without evidence of immunity (protection) to mumps[1] should have two doses of MMR vaccine, separated by at least 28 days.

"If you have two doses of MMR vaccine, it is not necessary to get an additional dose when you travel internationally, even if the country to which you are traveling is experiencing a mumps outbreak," officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted.

For more information on mumps and travel, see the mumps chapter from CDC’s Health Information for International Travel 2018 (the Yellow Book).