Mumps, a viral infection spread through physical contact, is running rampant through Harvard’s campus, according to Boston.com. Up to 40 cases have been confirmed as of Monday, a huge increase since March, when there were only two known cases of the infection.
The university has issued the desperate plea for students to please stop infecting each other as the end of the semester comes to an end and commencement looms right around the corner. University officials are doing whatever they can to stop the infection, and students who contract mumps are immediately put into isolation to stop it from spreading. Around 12 students are currently quarantined.
This image from the Harvard Crimson shows how the infection spread through the month of March. It has only worsened since the timeline was created.
Fortunately, the virus isn’t fatal. Mumps causes swelling of the salivary glands and cheeks, ear aches, jaw pain, and flu-like symptoms.
Boston.com says that in March, all of the infected students were tested and they had all received mumps vaccines before they contracted the virus. In addition, 99 percent of undergrad students at Harvard met Massachussett’s immunization requirements.
UMass Boston and Bentley university have also had a handful of cases, but the outbreaks have been nowhere near as sizable as Harvard’s.
Maybe Harvard students should take a break from hookups for a little while while things calm down. We’re crossing our fingers.