Health Center stays on alert in mumps hunt

Author: Jaime Fuller

The Parton Health Center has been busy informing students who could have potentially been exposed to mumps since the discovery of the viral illness on Sept. 17. No new cases have been confirmed on campus, but the staff at the Health Center intends to be on alert until Oct. 4.

Parton Health Center announced on Sept. 17 that a member of the student body had a case of the mumps earlier in the semester. The student is believed to have contracted the illness while traveling abroad this summer.

The student began feeling symptoms shortly before arriving on campus, and was confirmed to have the viral illness after seeking treatment at the Health Center. The student was then put in isolation in accordance with the Center for Disease Controls guidelines, and lab tests confirmed that the student had mumps on Sept. 15.

Mumps is especially problematic in a residential college setting, where many people are living in close proximity for an extended period of time. The Health Center sent out an e-mail to all students with a "known potential exposure to mumps" on Sept. 18 who had already had two doses of the mumps vaccine. The e-mail stated that "You are receiving this letter because you may have been in a class or otherwise in close contact with a person who was later diagnosed with mumps.The risk of getting mumps if you were in a class with this person is low, especially if you have received two doses of a mumps-containing vaccine. The risk is likely higher if you had closer and/or more prolonged contact with this person, although the risk will be much lower since you have received two doses of vaccine."

Litsey Corona '11.5 received one of these e-mails, but didn't find it reason to panic.

"I didn't really freak out," she said. "It was kind of weird - I've never known someone who had mumps before."

Simone Zhang '11 was also unalarmed by the mumps threat on campus.

"I was pretty indifferent," she said. "I feel bad for the person who had it though."

The symptoms of mumps usually include fever, headache, muscle ache and loss of appetite. The classic telltale symptom of mumps is parotid gland swelling, or Parotitis, which usually appears 48 hours after the generic symptoms set in. Parotitis occurs in 30 to 40 percent of infected persons and first appears as earache and tenderness on palpation of the angle of the jaw. The more serious symptoms of mumps can include inflammation of the testicles, brain or the lining around the spinal cord and brain.

Most members of the student body have had the mumps vaccine, which since its introduction has led to a 96 percent reduction in cases in the United States. Because the incubation period of the disease is 12 to 25 days, and the infectious period is from three days before, the Health Center is going to maintain a heightened level of surveillance until at least Oct. 4, entertaining the possibility that exposed students and faculty might have been infected.

Since the confirmation of mumps earlier in September, all students who have come to Parton complaining of illness have been screened for symptoms of the highly contagious disease. Some unimmunized students have come to the Health Center to receive the vaccination in the past few weeks. High-risk students who have not received the vaccine are being asked to isolate themselves in their dorm rooms for a short period of time. In extreme cases like this, Commons, Dining, and Facilities staff provide for the needs of the student while in isolation.

W. Mark Peluso MD, Director of the Health Center and Head Team Physician, believes that the situation is under control and credits the cooperation between the Vermont Department of Health and the staff from the Dean of the College, Commons, Facilities, Dining, Registrar's Office, Public Affairs and the Health Center for the rapid reaction to the situation.

"Their prompt responses, willingness to help, and creativity have helped tremendously," wrote Peluso in an e-mail. "A lot of people in these areas worked quickly to ensure that students at risk for mumps exposure were notified quickly, and students involved in self-isolation received the support they needed." His highest praise was reserved for the Health Center staff, who provided a swift response to this anomalous problem.

"It's been a busy time for the Health Center staff, and we are all fortunate to have such a dedicated group of professionals caring for our students," he wrote.