City and County weigh in on more confirmed mumps cases at MU

UPDATE: The Columbia/Boone County Health Department said students are a part of the community so non-students should take the same precautions to not get the mumps.

Eric Stann, community relations specialist for the county public health department, said the outbreak is not severe enough to recommend the third measles, mumps and rubella vaccine dose.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the guidelines health agencies should follow are outbreaks occur when 90 percent of the population has had the two required MMR vaccine doses, sustained transmission is more than two weeks, and there are high attack rate of more than five cases per population of 1,000.

ORIGINAL: The University of Missouri continues to deal mumps on its Columbia campus.

On Wednesday, the university reported a total of 128 confirmed and probable cases. Many of the cases are linked to MU students involved in Greek organizations.

The virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets. It can take up to three weeks before symptoms of the mumps show up. Symptoms can include swelling of the jaw, fever and aches.

All of the infected students have received vaccines.