photo by: Richard Gwin

Students move along Jayhawk Boulevard on the KU campus between classes on Wednesday January 27, 2016.

Mumps has reached the University of Kansas.

Health officials have confirmed one case in a KU student and investigated nine other students with mumps-like symptoms since mid-December, though those illnesses were not confirmed by lab tests, according to the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department.

The health department announced the confirmed and suspected mumps cases on Wednesday. The contagious disease — known for causing salivary glands to become painful and swollen — is caused by a virus that spreads through saliva and mucus.

KU students currently are on winter break. The last day of fall finals was Dec. 16; the first day of spring classes is Jan. 17.

Mary Beverly, the health department’s director of epidemiology, said officials don’t know where all the cases were contracted but that some are thought to have been spread prior to KU’s winter break. She said some of the students who became ill lived in group housing and others did not. Beverly declined to share more details, citing patient privacy.

The mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine is recommended for children to receive around their first birthday, with a second dose between ages 4 and 6, Beverly said. In order to enroll, KU students are required to show proof of two MMR vaccinations, according to the KU Immunization Compliance Policy.

MMR vaccination is lifelong but does not prevent all cases of mumps, Beverly said. In cases where the vaccine does not prevent mumps, it may lessen the severity of symptoms.

A large outbreak of mumps at the University of Missouri reached more than 220 cases in mid-December, according to The Associated Press. Most cases there were linked to fraternities and sororities, and the university urged student groups to cancel or postpone end-of-semester social events.

Additional large outbreaks have been reported across the country, including on other college campuses.

Mumps is no longer very common in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From year to year, mumps cases can range from roughly a couple hundred to a couple thousand. 

With 4,258 cases of mumps nationwide reported as of early December, 2016 saw the largest outbreak of mumps since 2006, according to the CDC.

Beverly urged anyone with mumps symptoms to contact a physician and isolate themselves immediately because the disease can be dangerous if spread to certain people.

“Most of the time it is not a terribly serious disease,” she said. “However there are vulnerable populations out there such as infants, who are too young to be vaccinated, the immunocompromised, who cannot be vaccinated because of their condition, and pregnant women.”

Preventing mumps

Mumps is a contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads through saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose or throat. An infected person can spread the virus by:

• coughing or sneezing

• kissing

• sharing items such drinks, cigarettes, lip balm or eating utensils

• touching objects or surfaces with unwashed hands that are touched by others.

Symptoms of mumps typically are a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue and loss of appetite, followed by swollen and tender salivary glands. People infected with mumps are usually contagious from three days before the swelling to five days after.

There is no treatment for mumps.

If you suspect you have mumps, call your doctor or the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department at 843-3060. Practice good hand-washing, stay home from school, work and social activities, and limit close contact with others for five days after the onset of symptoms.

Source: Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department