CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois Department of Public Health is urging University of Illinois students to get vaccinated to help curb a growing mumps outbreak.
The department said in a news release Tuesday that 69 cases have been reported on the Urbana-Champaign campus and new infections continue to be seen. A week earlier about 50 cases were known. The department knows of 18 other cases around the state.
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Director Nirav Shah says most of the infected people have received two rounds of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine but believes a third round could help control the outbreak.
The campus McKinley Health Center recommends that students planning to take classes this fall get a vaccine booster. Classes begin Aug. 24.
Mumps is a highly contagious viral illness characterized by swollen jaws and puffy cheeks.
