Penn State has seen about 30 cases of mumps at the University Park campus since January. Of those, all of the people affected had been vaccinated.
Shelley Haffner, infectious disease manager at Penn State, said no vaccine is 100 percent effective for 100 percent of the population.
“There are a lot of unknowns still with this," Haffner said. "We’re working with the Pennsylvania Department of Health who is also working with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) to look at this because we’re seeing more mumps outbreaks on college campuses in recent years.”
Four of the cases at Penn State were reported in the last week. That comes as the area hosts events including Pennsylvania Special Olympics, summer camps and the Arts Festival.
Haffner said if there’s a member of your family who isn’t immunized against mumps, you should take precautions.
“If you are somebody who has an 8-month-old child, you may not want to bring them this summer to campus or this area, unless you’ve talked to your doctor first,” she said.
And, Haffner said, people should use common sense. That means not sharing food and drinks and cleaning your hands frequently.
