IU student diagnosed with mumps

An IU student has a confirmed case of mumps, according to a press release from the IU Health Center.\nMumps, a viral infection that can cause meningitis, has been spreading through university campuses in the Midwest. Confirmed cases of mumps have appeared in eight Midwestern states, and as of Friday, more than 1,100 cases had been reported, according to The Associated Press.\nIU students are required to provide proof of immunization for measles, mumps and rubella, but the MMR vaccine is only 90 percent effective after the second of two shots is administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.\nReports from states more heavily affected by mumps say doctors failed to properly diagnose some patients that they now know have the virus because it was an uncommon disease in the United States after the two-part vaccine was released in the 1980s.\nIU Health Center Director Hugh Jessop said in the press release he thought students, faculty and Bloomington residents should be made aware of the symptoms of the disease because of the recent epidemic. Symptoms include swollen, painful glands on the side of the face, pain while chewing, weakness, and puffy cheeks, according to the CDC. The CDC also lists symptoms for more severe cases that can include "inflammation of the brain or tissue covering the brain and spinal cord, inflammation of the testicles, inflammation of the ovaries and breasts spontaneous abortion, and temporary or permanent deafness."\nAccording to the CDC, the mumps virus replicates in the respiratory system, and usually incubates (replicates without symptoms) for 16 to 18 days. Victims are contagious "from three days before symptoms appear to about nine days after the symptoms appear," and the virus is usually transmitted through saliva.\nHealth officials believe mumps might be especially problematic at colleges and universities because of the large numbers of students living in close quarters, attending large classes and sharing beds, cups, bottles and drinks.\nThe last outbreak of mumps in the United States was last year, when 31 people were diagnosed with the disease at a New York summer camp, according to the CDC. New York State Department of Health officials said the outbreak probably stemmed from a British counselor. England had several outbreaks of mumps between 2004 and 2005, and the CDC report said it is possible the counselor brought mumps to the summer camp.\nAnother IU student was diagnosed with a sometimes-fatal disease in September when a freshman contracted bacterial meningitis, also common on university campuses. Untreated mumps can develop into a form of meningitis in some cases.