Mumps case confirmed at UNC-Chapel Hill
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- One University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student has a confirmed case of the mumps, according to a university alert sent out Wednesday.
According to an Alert Carolina, the student may have been infectious from Jan. 11-18.
Symptoms from exposure from the student could develop between Jan. 23 and Feb 12.
Those who were in direct contact with the student have been contacted directly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mumps can be transmitted by coughing, sneezing, talking in close quarters, sharing food or beverages and touching a surface after an infected person without washing hands.
Mumps is a viral illness known for causing puffy cheeks and swollen jaws.
Symptoms include:
Symptoms usually begin 16-18 days after exposure, but the range can be as short as 14 days and as long as 25 days from the exposure. People with mumps are most infectious two days before their symptoms begin but may be infectious up to seven days before onset of symptoms.
According to UNC Chapel Hill's website, all incoming students are required to show proof of two doses of the mumps vaccine. If students do not show proof of vaccination within 30 days of the start of classes, the university will withdraw them from their courses. Students who are medically or religiously exempt from vaccination must complete additional paperwork.
According to the CDC, the mumps vaccine is 88 percent effective after two doses and 78 percent effective after one dose. Since the vaccine program was developed in the late 1960s, the number of mumps cases has decreased 99 percent across the US.
If you develop symptoms of mumps, (especially facial swelling on one or both sides), you should stay home, away from others, and call Campus Health at 919-966-6603 (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or 919-966-6573 (Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), the University Employee Occupational Health Clinic at 919-966-9119 or your healthcare provider prior to visiting the clinic.
There have been five cases of mumps reported in North Carolina so far this year, including the recent case at UNC. The cases are all in different parts of the state and are not known to be epidemiologically linked, meaning no new outbreaks are ongoing, an NC Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said.
More information on mumps can be found here:
https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/mumps.html
https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/infection_control.html
https://www.immunize.nc.gov/family/vaccines/mumps.htm
