There have been 98 confirmed cases of mumps related to an outbreak at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, according to a report from The News-Gazette.
The number of confirmed mumps cases is expected to grow, as there are several samples in the lab awaiting confirmation. Earlier this month, there were 69 confirmed cases. The outbreak started in April, according to the report.
The university is urging students to stay six feet from one another, but acknowledges that "isn't possible in many classroom environments," according to The News-Gazette.
Now that classes have started at the university — which boasts more than 32,000 students — the mumps outbreak could spread rapidly.
The University of Illinois and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department offered free booster shots of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine earlier in August, and students, faculty and staff are once again being offered the vaccine for free this week.