Looking like a chipmunk might warrant more concern for some VCU students than the prospect of poorly managed facial hair.
Betty Reppert, associate director of University Student Health Services, said a swollen jaw is the central symptom of the mumps – a virus recently reported at the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary.
“It’s a little bit tricky because at the beginning of it you may feel like you have the flu. You’ll have a high fever, muscle aches . . . just feeling miserable,” Reppert said. “But the key is having the chipmunk-looking jaw line.”
Jaw swelling is not a universal symptom. Reppert said 15 to 20 percent of those with the virus might not experience symptoms at all, making identifying the mumps difficult.
For most young people, the mumps is not highly dangerous, but its side effects can be unpleasant or more serious. Potential complications from the mumps include inflammation of the testicles, breasts or lining of the brain.
Lulu Buhisi, 19, is one of the U.Va students who contracted the mumps last year.
“I had a pretty minor case because I had the vaccination,” Buhisi said. “I wasn’t allowed to return to the dorms because it was very infectious.”
In addition to a week-long isolation, Buhisi said the virus caused unpleasant side effects.
“I guess it’s really uncomfortable because there’s a strong lack of appetite,” Buhisi said. “Every time I would eat, it would be really painful.”
Buhisi said she contracted the virus in a public place on campus, like the library.
“Just be aware of your environment, because I don’t think I got it from any of my friends,” Buhisi said.
Mumps is spread through direct contact within a three-foot radius. Since the virus targets the respiratory system, it is transferable through saliva and other secretions.
Reppert said VCU aims to prevent the spread of mumps.
“Our main way of preventing mumps is to continue to go on with our immunization program,” Reppert said. “In the state of Virginia, all full-time students are required to be immunized.”
The mumps vaccine consists of two shots and is offered through student health, but the injections do not guarantee against contracting the virus. Reppert said many of the U.Va students who contracted mumps had previously been vaccinated.
If VCU experienced a widespread outbreak like the one at U.Va, Reppert said students are encouraged to undergo treatment with a family physician. Students also are urged to notify VCU of this decision.
As a preventative measure, the university founded the Public Health Response Team, which devises hypothetical health crises to uncover solutions.
“One of our tasks as a team is to go over these scenarios and determine what VCU’s responses are with an outbreak like mumps,” Reppert said.
In the case of a widespread outbreak, the team determined that alternative housing would minimize the spread of the virus. Reppert referred to the approach U.Va used when dealing with its outbreak.
In a press release distributed by the Thomas Jefferson Health District during the scare, Patricia M. Lampkin, U.Va’s vice president and chief student affairs officer, said a facility was selected to contend with the outbreak.
“We have dubbed the facility ‘mumps house,’ ” Lampkin said. “We felt it was important to provide those who could not get home with a place where they could recover without further infecting the community.”
Reppert said no cases of the mumps have been reported so far this year. Three thousand cases were reported nationwide in 2006, and many of those cases involved college students.
This semester, Reppert said most VCU students seeking treatment at the clinic have suffered from common colds and sinus infections. There have been a few cases of pneumonia. As VCU has not recently experienced a flu outbreak, flu vaccinations are still in supply at student health.
Reppert said the key to staying healthy is simple.
“I think the main thing is hand washing,” Reppert said. “And like your mom always told you, get enough sleep and eat the right stuff.”