Trinity has today warned students of an outbreak of mumps in the Dublin area which has seen students contracting the disease. According to an email sent by College today, there has been a “number of cases in the Dublin area recently and we have had some cases of mumps here in College over the past week or so”.
Trinity is encouraging the college community to ensure they have had two Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccines. They have also called on students to make appointments at College Health or their own GP should this not be the case, and to “check their childhood vaccination history with their family GP”.
According to the email, mumps cause “facial pain, fever, headache and swelling in front of the ears”. It is normally a minor illness, but “it can have severe complications for some, including Meningitis, Encephalitis, Deafness, and Inflammation of the Testicles”. According to College it “needs to be taken seriously”.
Trinity concluded its email by advising staff and students to stay away from College for at least a five-day period after swelling develops.
This news follows an email sent to Trinity by the HSE which calls on students to make sure that they “don’t let mumps interrupt your studies or ruin your exams”.
