By Connor Ryan
New York City’s Health Department found that more than two dozen Fordham students at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center fell ill with mumps in January and February. It was an outbreak that sparked campus-wide concern, local media attention and long waits in the health center. [More]
Now, weeks later, just when administrators thought campus was on the mend, two new confirmed cases of mumps have popped up at Rose Hill. One of those infected was known to be on campus Friday. Both people sick work in the Keating Hall offices of WFUV, the campus radio station. It is unclear whether those infected are students or adult staff.
“Be advised that we are taking every precaution to make sure that all areas around the station have been cleaned and disinfected,” read an internal WFUV memo, sent Sunday afternoon. “The custodial staff cleaned the lobby including phones and surfaces. They will return [Monday] morning at 6 a.m. to finish the rest of the station as well as the fishbowl and membership department at Walsh as the other infected student works in that dept.”
WFUV is advising its staff — including student workers — to check in before reporting for work on Monday.
Despite repeated claims from administrators, one student with a confirmed case of mumps earlier this semester was found never to have been vaccinated, according to the Department of Health’s report. It is unclear what role that may have played in the outbreak.
The average incubation period for mumps is between 16 and 18 days with a range of 12 to 25 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Mumps patients are only contagious for two days prior to developing symptoms and then five days after.
