March 29--Virginia Commonwealth University reported its first case of mumps Thursday as the outbreak at the University of Richmond continues to spread.
UR has had 40 probable cases since Jan. 24 and expects to see additional cases through this semester, said university spokesman Brian Eckert. Of the cases, 20 have been confirmed by laboratory tests.
VCU has one confirmed case -- a student living off campus -- and two suspected cases, spokeswoman Anne Buckley said.
Eckert said 12 UR students are currently ill, which is the number the university anticipates will be sick at any one time for the remainder of the semester because of the incubation period for the disease.
Mumps is a viral illness with symptoms of fever, headache and swelling of the salivary glands that appear between 12 and 25 days of exposure. In some teenage males and men, mumps can cause testicular swelling or rash and, in rare cases, infertility.
Some people show no symptoms and thus do not realize they are spreading the illness, said Dr. Laurie Forlano, deputy state epidemiologist at the Virginia Department of Health.
For others, the symptoms "can be vague. Sometimes it's just malaise or feeling crummy," she said.
While mumps can have potentially severe complications for pregnant women or people with compromised immune systems, most patients recover in three to five days.
The mumps vaccine, commonly referred to as the MMR vaccine, is 90 to 95 percent effective, but it is possible to contract the illness even after having the recommended two doses.
But Forlano said mumps generally is less severe for people who have had the vaccine.
The health department is investigating other potential cases across the state but has not seen anything like the UR outbreak, she said.
"This situation is a little unusual," she said.
The university setting lends itself to such clusters because "college students are social people," she said.
The illness is spread through close contact -- sharing a drink or a kiss -- but can be transmitted by sneezing and coughing, she said.
Eckert said UR is recommending self-isolation for infected students. Most have gone home to recover, and alternative housing is being provided for those unable to leave campus, he said.
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