W&L's dean of students sent an e-mail to the W&L community at 3:50 p.m. on Oct. 19 confirming that a student has been placed in isolation for a suspected case of mumps.  W&L requires all students to be immunized against the disease twice as part of the MMR vaccination, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.

The Health Center compiled a list of the 18 students who have not had the second vaccination and sent them an e-mail warning about the potential danger. They also sent an e-mail about the symptoms to those who had close contact with UVA students, but asked that they not come to the center unless they start to display the symptoms, and they posted a Campus Notice on Oct. 7 about the disease, urging students to be careful when in contact with UVA and Virginia Tech students.

"We're trying to be very proactive about this," said Horton, who dealt with a major outbreak of mumps in her first year at W&L in the late 1980s. The Health Center treated 90 students over a period of six weeks for the disease. "We had people in every bed in the Health Center. It was not fun. I don't want to go through that again."

As of Oct. 17, there were three confirmed cases of mumps at UVA, which classifies the situation as an outbreak, and nine probable cases of the disease.

Mumps is caused by a virus that displays symptoms like the flu, including fatigue, headache, loss of appetite, and fever. The difference is that the parotid salivary glands, located in the cheek near the jaw line and below the ears, swell, giving infected persons a chipmunk-like appearance. The incubation period after exposure is usually 16-18 days, but it could be as long as three weeks, according to the email.

The disease is spread through the body fluids of infected persons in close contact with others. It can be spread through food or drink, coughing, sneezing, or from surfaces that the persons may have touched.

Once a mumps case has been confirmed, the person is placed in isolation for a week to 10 days. Any other individuals who may have been in contact with them are placed in quarantine until the incubation period has passed and they have not displayed any symptoms.

The MMR vaccine is effective in most cases, but two to five percent of the population is still susceptible to the disease even after they have been immunized.

UVA has set up a "Mumps House" for infected students to prevent the spread of the disease through the campus. Mumps strikes college students more than any other age group because of the closed nature of the college community.

"Just being a student and living, studying, and playing together increases the risk of transmission," said Horton.

Students in isolation and quarantine are given special accommodations to make up their class work and make sure that they do not fall behind because they were sick or possibly exposed. The Health Center has not placed healthy students in quarantine as of this time because the disease is not dangerous enough to pose a threat until they are sure, Horton said.

Because the case has been confirmed, the Health Department will follow-up with students who may be at risk.

In the meantime, Horton is urging students and faculty to get enough rest, make sure they wash their hands and eat healthful foods, and to check their immunization records to make sure that they are immunized. If students start to show the tell-tale swelling of the salivary glands, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible.