Number of confirmed rises in U. California mumps outbreak

By Nicholas Luther

Over 750 people attended U. California Berkeley University Health Services’ second mumps vaccination clinic Tuesday in light of the mumps outbreak that emerged on campus in the last two weeks.

Unlike the first vaccination clinic held Thursday, which prompted more than 900 students, faculty and staff to wait in line for over an hour , there was an average of about 30 people in line at a time who waited about 10 minutes to receive their vaccination.

There are currently 15 confirmed cases and 15 suspected cases of mumps on campus — an increase from the nine confirmed cases reported Monday — according to California Department of Public Health spokesperson Ralph Montano.

Kim LaPean, University Health Services communications manager, attributed the shorter line and wait time in part to an overall decrease in the sense of panic among people seeking vaccination.

“The first time a vaccination clinic like this is offered, people kind of panic, so we had a great turnout,” she said of Thursday’s clinic.

Another factor leading to the more streamlined vaccination process, LaPean said, was the larger nursing staff, supplemented by registered nurses from surrounding counties.

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends two doses of the mumps vaccine, University Health Services recommends that individuals receive a third dose for extra protection because some of the people with confirmed cases of mumps had already received two doses of the vaccine, according to LaPean.

University Health Services is prioritizing its efforts to vaccinate students living in the residence halls, co-ops and fraternity and sorority housing — where most cases of mumps are currently concentrated — by using social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter.

University Health Services will host its next flu and mumps vaccination clinic at the Tang Center from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

The first two confirmed cases of mumps were reported on campus on Sept. 30. That number grew to seven confirmed cases by Oct. 5. The number of suspected cases peaked at about 35 on Monday but has since dropped to the 15 suspected cases reported today.

Read more here: http://www.dailycal.org/2011/10/11/number-of-confirmed-campus-mumps-cases-rises-to-15/
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