Reading Time: < 1 minute

County Public Health Services (PHS) has confirmed a mumps outbreak at San Diego State University (SDSU) and is coordinating with school leadership on notifications to the campus community.  

A similar mumps outbreak on the SDSU campus occurred in 2020 and was contained through collaboration between the County and SDSU. 

As of Sept. 18, five confirmed and probable cases have been identified, all among student athletes on a single team. The first known symptom onset began on Sept. 6, with the case confirmed this week. PHS is collaborating with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and SDSU officials for management of the outbreak, including testing of known close contacts of people who are ill.  

Mumps is a contagious viral illness that spreads easily in close-contact settings, typically within three feet. It can spread through kissing, sharing food or drinks, or exposure coughs or sneezes. People are contagious for two days before symptoms appear and while they are ill. As with other diseases, people who are immune compromised or otherwise vulnerable face higher risk.  

Mumps symptoms include body aches, loss of appetite, fatigue, headache, and fever followed by inflammation or swelling of the salivary glands in the cheeks, testicles (orchitis), the ovaries (oophoritis) and can progress to infection in and around the brain (meningitis/encephalitis). Inflammation of the reproductive organs can lead to sterility in both males and females. Vaccination with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine lowers the risk of complications.  

Vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent and control mumps outbreaks, however it is known that immunity may wane over time. After the U.S. mumps vaccination program started in 1967, there has been a more than 99% decrease in mumps cases in the United States. 

More information about the mumps is available at the CDPH website. For more information related to the SDSU mumps exposure please visit Mumps Outbreak & Information | Student Affairs and Campus Diversity | SDSU.