MESSAGE TO FACULTY AND STAFF (September 23, 2019)
Dear Faculty and Staff,
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 faculty and staff follow the directions provided by College of Charleston health officials to ensure our campus community’s health and safety.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Per S.C. DHEC, those employees who have not been vaccinated should get vaccinated immediately.
FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE NOT BEEN IMMUNIZED AGAINST MUMPS, MEASLES AND RUBELLA (MMR): You 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 this week, and more details will be forthcoming on time and location. However, in the meantime, employees are encouraged to contact their primary care physicians, local urgent care facilities or local pharmacies for MMR vaccinations.
FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN VACCINATED: While an additional (third) dose is not harmful, this third dose is not being recommended by S.C. DHEC at this time. However, in an abundance of caution for faculty and staff, the College will establish a vaccination clinic on campus this week, primarily for students who have not been vaccinated, and more details will be forthcoming on time and location.
FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES EXHIBITING SYMPTOMS OF MUMPS: If you have active symptoms, self-isolate by staying home from work and campus activities until the contagious period passes. Please contact your primary care provider and notify your supervisor.
Please note: students have received a communication this morning that, per S.C. DHEC, for those students who have not been vaccinated, they should get vaccinated immediately. However, if a student who is not vaccinated and is not willing to be vaccinated and/or cannot provide the documentation of the proper MMR doses (which is a College requirement), he/she/they may 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 the College is asking students to follow instructions so that their educational experience is not interrupted
If you have any questions, please call your primary care provider and refer to emergency.cofc.edu for FAQs regarding this outbreak.
Sincerely,
CofC Emergency Management Team