Mumps
In this photo illustration, vials of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are displayed on a counter at a Walgreens Pharmacy, Jan.26, 2015, in Mill Valley, California. Photo: Getty

A college in suburban Boston is proceeding cautiously after one of its students tested positive for mumps. The student, who was kept in isolation for five days, is expected to return to classes this week, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

Framingham State University is not only reviewing the student’s classmates' and roommates' medical records but officials are also contacting those who have not submitted completed paperwork their medical

"We are checking the immunization records of all roommates and students in the affected student's classes to make sure they have submitted documentation of the required immunizations and will be contacting those who have not," Ilene Hofrenning, director of the university’s health center said in a statement.

The student was already immunized prior to contracting the mumps. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends two doses of the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine. Receiving two doses makes the vaccine 88 percent effective whereas one dose makes it 78 percent effective. “However, some immunized individuals, who have been in very close contact with someone who is infected, can still get the disease,” Hofrenning said.

More than 2,000 mumps cases have been reported to the CDC in 2016. Iowa, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Indiana and Illinois have reported more than 100 cases of the disease this year.

The CDC identifies mumps as a contagious disease that begins with a few days of headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite and fever. It then progresses to swollen salivary glands. Most people who experience mumps are able to fully recover in a few weeks.

Anyone on the Framingham State University campus who has experienced symptoms is encouraged to seek medical attention from a primary care physician or contact the university health care center. Mumps can be spread by the infected person by touching surfaces or objects with unwashed hands, talking, coughing, sharing items with others or sneezing.

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