As the academic year comes to a finish, mumps continues to spread at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. There have now been 58 confirmed cases of the viral infection in students since March, according to The Harvard Crimson.
Recently infected students may be barred from attending end-of-year events like commencement. According to the Crimson, Paul J. Barreira, MD, director of Harvard's Health Services, who has previously expressed serious concern about the outbreak, wrote in a statement to the campus community, "Given the two- to three-week incubation period for the mumps virus, students who come down with the virus at this point may have to miss certain end-of-year and/or summer activities if they are ill."
Students have also been encouraged to refrain from traveling abroad if they've experienced mumps symptoms.
The CDC reports that two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine are 88 percent effective at preventing the mumps.
More articles on infection control:
Scientists make breakthrough in C. diff vaccine development
Infant vaccine program reduces rotavirus hospitalizations by more than 70%
MD Anderson upped employee flu shot rates to 94% with one change