A student came down with mumps at my daughter’s college during finals. The sick student was sent home. I was a bit peeved that the college did not send home a letter since all the students could have potentially brought it home. I found out about it by looking at the campus clinic website for something else.
The mumps clusters have now spread to the Denver area. 
Do college still send actual letters? Neither my undergrad did when I was there nor does my grad school.
We did, however, get an email every time there is a meningitis case. Not sure about other things but I definitely know we don’t get emails of any sort. The students get an email. Perhaps your student did get one and just didn’t see it?
Colleges treat students as adults. They send them notification. Blame your kiddo for not telling you when they came home. 
Oh boy… Back in the day, I cleared out the waiting room at my pediatrician’s office when I decided to go there on my own to check out the strange case of a sore throat that left my neck swollen… My parents were out of town, and I did not want to bother my grandpa with such minor things. LOL. The nurses made sure they had the names and contact info of everyone who was in the waiting room when I showed up. My mom was a vaccination fanatic. Guess mumps vaccine was something my mom overlooked.
Well, considering that we get text alerts for stupid things like power outages I guess I do expect that they would have put it in an email to the parents. My kid was totally unaware - had not been told.
I was thinking of the public health aspect. Students were about to finish finals and then fly across country and around the world. I think the students should have been told what symptoms to look for.
I lived in a country where with an admirable public health system. That country only recommends mumps vaccinations for boys at puberty if they haven’t had the illness already.
My D had mumps as a young child and no one considered it a big deal but she had to stay at home for ten days. She seemed sick for the first day or two but after that was fine. It wasn’t a big deal for us and more mild if an illness than many of the colds and viruses.
HOWEVER, before she came down with any symptoms, it was spread to an adult international male friend of ours by sharing a straw when we went out to dinner together and they tasted each others’ drinks. He became seriously ill and we dropped everything to take care of him because we felt responsible. It turned out ok but he could have become infertile. We don’t know if he was ever vaccinated or if he was vaccinated and the immunity waned, since he had lived in various countries growing up. I do know DH who grew up abroad did not get the vaccines that we in the US take for granted; he is older so the timing as well as the international status may have played a factor.
Everyone who chooses not to vaccinate should know the serious risk of infertility for males who become infected.
Men who do not have immunity should beware of mumps outbreaks as well as international travel.
Different topic, but I have a grown child who has not shown sero-immunity to a specific virus, despite multiple vaccinations. We wouldn’t have known if a volunteer position she had had not required titres.
I had a friend that is deaf in one ear caused by mumps as a child.
True male infertility after mumps is pretty rare. About 1 in 4 postpubertal males can get orchitis (testicular inflammation–painful!) and of those, about 1 in 10 can have some degree of lowered sperm count, but complete sterility is rare. Still a good reason to not want mumps in the young adults population.
My father got mumps from me when I was ten and he was 58. He had severe orchitis and did in fact (according to my mother, who told me years later) end up sterile.
Interesting article on the likelihood of a measles outbreak (and possible real causes of autism)
So RFK Jr and Robert De Niro are offering 100k to anyone who can prove vaccines are safe. I shudder to think of the once eradicated diseases that will be around when I am a senior citizen.
In a logical world based on facts, this would be the easiest 100k ever.
Yes, because of course as soon as thimerosal was removed from the vast majority of childhood vaccines the rates of autism dropped like a stone. Ummm…
Can you provide a reputable citation for this claim? I believe it is untrue, at least based on what the FDA’s page on thimerosol says.
@Hunt I was being sarcastic. 
The rates of autism diagnosis have risen steadily despite changes to the vaccines based on fears raised by the now discredited theories linking thimerosal to autism.
Some of the higher rates are doubtless due to better diagnostic measures, but if thimerosal were implicated in the development of autism we would expect to see at least a measurable slowing of diagnoses.
Sorry, Sue22. I should have looked back to see what you posted earlier. But a non-sarcastic post of that kind wouldn’t surprise me too much, sadly.
Re: #2993
Since all vaccines in the US are available in thimerosal-free formulations (except DT, but DTap is available in thimerosal-free formulations), then you can be fully vaccinated with no chance of any possible risk from thimerosal. But will they pay up the $100,000 based on this fact?
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096228
Actual fact: autism rates have risen in direct correlation with the rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Actual fact: correlation is not causation.