Mumps outbreak prompts student vaccination plea

The Union of Students in Ireland called for free mumps vaccinations to be made available to all students tonight as the number of those infected with the disease passed 100.

The National Disease Surveillance Centre said approximately 110 people were affected in Dublin, the Midlands and the North West in three separate outbreaks at third level institutions.

Sixteen more cases of mumps were reported today in areas hit by the outbreak. Most of those affected are college students, and the total is three times the number of reported cases last year.

The worst-hit college, Athlone Institute of Technology, has reported 13 new cases. Forty students were diagnosed with mumps earlier this month.

Staff and students have been offered free mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccines to prevent the virus spreading. Over 1,000 have now availed of the vaccines, which are being administered by the Midlands Health Board (MHB).

The MHB said "greater social mixing" could be a factor in the rapid spread of the virus throughout the college. Mumps is a viral infection spread by airborne saliva droplets from the nose or throat, requiring close contact before infection can occur.

In Co Donegal, the virus has hit 31 people, as well as seven students at Letterkenny Institute of Technology, are suffering from the ailment.

The North Western Health Board has set up a clinic in Letterkenny to vaccinate people.

The Eastern Regional Health Authority said there were five confirmed cases at St Patrick's College, Maynooth.

Mumps is a viral infection that causes tenderness and swelling of the parotid gland in the neck. This is also often accompanied by fever and headaches. Mumps often gives the appearance of swollen cheeks or jaw. The symptoms usually last for around ten days.

It is a potentially serious disease for children and young adults, particularly those in the 15-to-24 age group. The virus can also, in very rare cases, cause encephalitis and deafness, while the fatality rate is around one to three deaths per 10,000 cases.

The recommended protection is the MMR vaccine, which provides around 90 per cent protection. University age students are susceptible to mumps because most were too old to be vaccinated when the jab was first introduced in 1988, or only received one dose.