Five mumps cases (three confirmed, two probable) have been reported among student-athletes on a single SDSU team.
SAN DIEGO — San Diego State University (SDSU) is facing a mumps outbreak confirmed by county health officials, with all five cases linked to student-athletes on the same team. SDSU reported three confirmed cases and two probable cases among these students, who are no longer considered contagious but have raised concerns across campus.
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Kaylani Johnson, an SDSU student, expressed her fear after receiving an alert from student health services about the outbreak. “I was super scared because I feel that it is normal to share drinks and food and stuff,” she said, noting her routine interactions with others. Johnson hopes she hasn’t been exposed yet due to these common habits.
Doctor Andrew Eads, an emergency physician not involved in treating the outbreak, pointed out that mumps can spread easily through common college activities, such as sharing water bottles during practice. “Sharing saliva, whether it’s through drinks, kissing, or respiratory droplets,” he explained, emphasizing the risk within close contacts.
The MMR vaccine, which protects against mumps, is typically given to children, though vaccinated individuals can still contract the virus. Eads also highlighted a key symptom for students to watch for: “the swelling of the parotid glands, the salivary glands on the side of your face.”
In response to the outbreak, SDSU is reinforcing precautions, with students adopting measures such as avoiding close contact and not sharing drinks. One student noted, “don’t kiss anybody, don’t drink after anybody,” while another humorously added that the issue isn’t significant for him since he and his roommate are not dating anyone.
To combat the outbreak, San Diego County Public Health Services announced it will host a clinic on campus to screen for mumps symptoms and provide vaccinations. The current situation brings back memories of a similar outbreak at SDSU in 2020, which was successfully contained through collaborative efforts between the county and the university.