MESSAGE TO STUDENTS (Sent by COUGAR ALERT ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2019)
Dear Students,
A third case of mumps was diagnosed over the weekend. As defined by the Centers for Disease Control and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (S.C. DHEC), this third case now qualifies our situation as an outbreak, and this means the College will follow its campus-wide response and emergency protocols.
Because of the highly contagious nature of mumps, it is critical that all students follow the directions provided by College of Charleston health officials to ensure our campus community’s health and safety.
Per S.C. DHEC, those students who have not been vaccinated should get vaccinated immediately. However, if a student who is not vaccinated and is not willing to be vaccinated, he/she/they will need to leave campus immediately and stay away for at least 25 days from the last date of a reported positive case (and this date may change if new cases are diagnosed). Of course, the College recognizes the tremendous disruption that this may mean to some students and families, so please take note of the following instructions so that your educational experience is not interrupted.
FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN IMMUNIZED AGAINST MUMPS, MEASLES AND RUBELLA (MMR): You will need to receive the MMR vaccine as soon as possible. The College is working with S.C. DHEC and the Medical University of South Carolina to provide vaccines on campus. The College will establish a vaccination clinic on campus later this week (details here). However, in the meantime, students can go to their primary care physicians, local urgent care facilities or local pharmacies for an MMR vaccination.
NOTE: Based on the current status of the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and S.C. DHEC are not recommending that College of Charleston remove students from campus to prevent further mumps cases. Even vaccinated students can become infected with mumps so exclusion may not be effective in preventing additional cases.
FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN VACCINATED BUT HAVE NOT TURNED IN THE APPROPRIATE DOCUMENTATION: The College’s Student Health Services reached out Sunday evening (September 22, 2019) through a direct text message to those students whose records are incomplete. If those students cannot demonstrate proper vaccination of two MMR doses by Tuesday, September 24, 2019, they will need to receive a dose of the MMR vaccine by Friday, September 27, 2019. The College will establish a vaccination clinic on campus this week (details here).
NOTE: Based on the current status of the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and S.C. DHEC are not recommending that College of Charleston remove students from campus to prevent further mumps cases. Even vaccinated students can become infected with mumps so exclusion may not be effective in preventing additional cases.
FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE EXHIBITING SYMPTOMS OF MUMPS: If you have active symptoms https://scdhec.gov/mumps, self-isolate by staying home from school, work and social gatherings until the contagious period passes. Please contact Student Health Services at 843.953.5520. On-campus students and their roommates should contact Campus Housing at 843.953.5523 during business hours to receive assistance. During evening and weekend hours, Residence Life is always available to assist through our on-call system. You may also go to your residence hall front-desk for assistance.
If you have any questions, call Student Health Services at 843.953.5520 or refer to emergency.cofc.edu https://live-emergency-site.pantheonsite.io/ (which has FAQs regarding this situation). Student Health Services can offer advice by phone day or night, to help save students a trip to Student Health Services or local urgent care facilities.
Sincerely,
CofC Emergency Management Team
(MESSAGE UPDATED WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019)