What to Know
- Mumps is highly contagious and is characterized by fever, headache and fatigue, among other symptoms
- The disease can't be treated and while the vaccine is not 100 percent effective, two doses of the vaccine are the best protection
- Officials say the affected students have been isolated
Officials at a Hudson Valley university say nine people, including eight members of the school's intercollegiate swimming program, have come down with the mumps.
Health officials with the State University of New York at New Paltz confirmed the mumps cases in a letter sent on Monday evening to users of the school's athletic facilities. Details on the ninth case weren't immediately clear.
Officials say all swim practices and workouts have been suspended "out of an abundance of caution" to see if anyone else has the mumps.
Mumps is a highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, headache and swelling of the salivary glands. Other symptoms include low-grade fever, fatigue, muscle aches and loss of appetite. After a person is exposed, symptoms usually appear 16 to 18 days after infection, but this period can range from 12-25 days after infection. Mumps can't be treated.
Officials say the affected students have been isolated. Some who weren't immunized have been sent home.
The university says the pool in the Elting Gym has reopened after being shut down last week. Members of the swim team still can't use it.
