February 21, 2020
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Temple University's Student Health Services is monitoring a few isolated cases of the mumps that have been treated. The illnesses come a year after the North Philadelphia campus was faced with a mumps outbreak totaling 186 cases.
Three students at Temple University were diagnosed with and treated for the mumps virus, university officials announced on Friday.
A community email sent by Student Health Services director Mark Denys said the three students with the virus were treated and are no longer contagious.
“I want to emphasize that right now, the number of positive cases is low,” Denys said. “We are working closely with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to monitor this situation and will provide updates as needed.”
Last year, a mumps outbreak at Temple resulted in 186 documented cases of the illness, which is passed through saliva and respiratory secretions. The flu-like symptoms and swollen glands typically appear 16 to 18 days after exposure, but can also come on suddenly within days. Mumps are considered contagious for up to nine days after symptoms appear.
In response to the outbreak, Temple updated its immunization policy to require all matriculating students to receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, two doses of the chicken pox vaccine and one dose of the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine.
Any student who has questions about the mumps or is experiencing symptoms should contact Student Health Services at StudentHealth@temple.edu.
