Skip to content
Health
Link copied to clipboard

Mumps outbreak spreads from Temple University to Montgomery County

There are now 16 confirmed cases at Temple, and two suspected cases in Montgomery County.

A vial containing the MMR vaccine is loaded into a syringe. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
A vial containing the MMR vaccine is loaded into a syringe. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS)Read moreTNS

As health officials feared, the mumps outbreak that began at Temple University last week is spreading.

As of Tuesday, the Philadelphia Health Department confirmed 16 students had the contagious disease.

There are also two suspected cases in Montgomery County. One is a part-time student from Temple who came home, and the other is believed to be related to the Temple outbreak as well, the county’s Health Department said.

Health officials have alerted everyone else who came in contact with those two to look for symptoms, and they are monitoring the situation.

There is no cure for mumps, and complications can be serious, but for most people, symptoms fade after 10 days.

The disease has had a resurgence in the United States in recent years, especially on college campuses. Experts say the vaccine given in childhood loses strength over time.