Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, February 24, 2017
(BLOOMINGTON) - Five cases of mumps have been confirmed on the Indiana University campus since December.
Provost Lauren Robel says IU is taking precautions to stop the spread of mumps by offering immunizations to those who may have been exposed.
The university is working with the Monroe County Health Department and Indiana State Department of Health to identify and notify anyone who may have been in close contact with the students.
Symptoms for the mumps include fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, loss of appetite and swollen and tender salivary glands under the ears on one or both sides, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Students and staff with symptoms are encouraged to stay home and call the IU Health Center at (812) 855-5002 or (855) 303-2631 after hours.
The Centers for Disease Control has reported mumps cases are at a 10-year nationwide high with cases in 46 states in the last year.
Mumps are spread from direct and indirect contact with an infected person's respiratory droplets, which can be transmitted through sneezing and coughing. People with mumps can spread the illness for up to two days before and five days after symptoms appear.
A virus causes the mumps, meaning antibiotics are ineffective. Treatment focuses on alleviating symptoms; recommendations include bed rest, a soft diet and a pain reliever for body aches.
The best way to prevent mumps is to be vaccinated with two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR). Two doses of vaccine are considered around 80 percent effective, but some who have been vaccinated could still come down with the mumps.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.