SHOTS FOR EVERYONE

Temple University Offers Free Vaccines After 86 Mumps Cases Reported

The school has changed its immunization policy for incoming students.

Temple University is now offering free vaccinations to students and staff after 86 cases of mumps were reported at the school, local news station NBC Philadelphia reports. The university’s health clinic reportedly will offer the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine on Wednesday and Friday of next week at no cost to students and school employees if they present their school ID. This comes as the Philadelphia health department said 16 of the cases have been confirmed as mumps, while the other 70 are still categorized as “probable” cases. The outbreak reportedly spurred Temple to change its immunization policy for incoming students, requiring them to have received two doses of the MMR vaccine before entering school. Mumps is highly contagious and reportedly presents symptoms like “fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite.” According to the CDC, mumps can be spread through everyday activities like sharing cups or playing sports.