Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., has apparently been hit hard with a record outbreak of mumps.
According to the Boston Globe, the number of mumps cases at the school has tripled since March, reaching 40 cases now confirmed. Eleven students are currently being isolated due to the disease. The last highest recorded case of mumps at the university was in 2013, when 39 confirmed cases of mumps were identified.
The Harvard Crimson reported Tuesday that Dr. Paul J. Barreira, director of Harvard University Health Services, expressed worries the outbreak might affect commencement.
But [university spokesperson Lindsey] Baker said Harvard does not expect to make changes to its commencement plans because of the illnesses. Barreira was merely cautioning that individual students may miss out on the graduation ceremony and other end-of-semester activities if they become ill and have to be isolated, she said.
CNN also reported:
"I'm actually more concerned now than I was during any time of the outbreak," Barreira told The Harvard Crimson. "I'm desperate to get students to take seriously that they shouldn't be infecting one another."
Harvard isn't the only school to be hit with an outbreak of mumps. The University of Dayton and Miami University in Ohio have both confirmed cases of mumps among students this week, according to the Daily Dayton News.
About 50 cases have also been reported across four schools in Indiana earlier this month, including the University in Bloomington, Purdue University, Butler University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Mumps is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause symptoms including headache, fatigue, muscle aches and fever. It is usually passed from person to person in close quarters via coughs or sneezes. While the mumps vaccination is required by law, as well as by most university policies, studies have shown the vaccine does not necessarily prevent a person from contracting the disease.