Dear Members of the Campus Community:
The Ulster County Health Department has reported to us that there is a probable case of mumps at the New Paltz High School. The high school student has been in close contact with a SUNY New Paltz student, who was previously diagnosed with mumps and was fully immunized. Because this high school student has been in close contact with a New Paltz Middle School student, school officials have notified students, staff and parents at the high school and middle school that both high school and middle school students may have been exposed.
The College has been in contact with the school district and has offered to provide assistance as needed.
As you prepare to go home for the Thanksgiving holiday, we remind you to take appropriate precautions to reduce spread of this illness. Mumps are transmitted by close contact, sharing of utensils, drinking glasses, and saliva contact (kissing). Washing hands is recommended per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mumps is caused by a respiratory virus, whose symptoms include painful swelling of the salivary glands near the ears and under the jaw, which can occur on one or both sides of the face. This swelling may be associated with other non-specific symptoms, such as fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue and decreased appetite.
As a reminder, campus departments and units who have events scheduled that involve visitors from off-campus, especially children, should take the following precautions: 1) no student known to be infected with mumps should participate in such events, 2) notify visiting children’s parents to check their children’s immunizations before participating and ask that they not attend if their child has not been immunized, 3) consult your supervisor if you are uncertain about whether to hold the event or not or contact the Student Health Center. This guidance assumes that any New Paltz students still in attendance have documented immunizations.
SUNY New Paltz currently has 16 confirmed cases of mumps and the county health department has reports of 24 probable/confirmed cases in the county, which include our 16. Probable cases are pending laboratory confirmation. Per campus protocol, the affected students, who have been immunized against mumps, have been isolated for the recommended period of time. Student athletes and resident students, in particular, have been educated about how to reduce exposure to mumps. Immunizations work but are not 100% effective.
More information about the mumps outbreak on campus can be found here:
Jack Ordway, M.D.
Director, Student Health Service
