New Vaccinations Required for Incoming Temple University Students as Mumps Cases Rise

The total number of mumps cases at Philadelphia’s Temple University has increased to 28 and now the school is requiring new vaccines for incoming students.

The total includes 11 confirmed cases and 17 probable cases, the university said Wednesday.

A spokesman for the school said they are treating and educating anyone with symptoms, identifying anyone who has been in close contact with people with symptoms and recommending they receive a Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Temple University is also updating its immunization policy for incoming students to require the following:

• Two doses - Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine
• Two doses - Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine
• One dose within 10 years - Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis (Tdap) vaccine

At least three of the mumps cases are in surrounding counties but are associated with Temple, Philadelphia Department of Public Health spokesman James Garrow said.

Last week, Philadelphia health officials said there were at least 16 cases of mumps at Temple, the most cases in the city since 2011.

The outbreaks tend to be more common on college campuses where people are more closely in contact, Garrow said.

Gradual increases in reported cases of the infectious disease are common, the university said.

The effectiveness of the mumps vaccination, part of the MMR vaccine, only conveys about an 88 percent protection and tends to wane over time so it's not necessarily a case of unvaccinated people, according to Garrow.

There is no cure for mumps. Symptoms include feeling tired, fever and swollen salivary glands on the side of the face.

Check here for more information on signs and symptoms.