Due to the mumps episode earlier this month, UTRGV Health Services is now offering free measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccinations to students, faculty and staff on the Edinburg campus.
Earlier this month, UTRGV health authorities told The Rider there were eight cases of mumps in Hidalgo County as of April 3.
Mumps causes cheeks to swell, flu-like symptoms and is contagious.
The Hidalgo County Health Department has given Health Services a supply of vaccinations for distribution to the UTRGV community.
Cristel Escalona, medical director of Health Services and an assistant clinical professor in the School of Medicineโs Department of Pediatrics, said the Hidalgo County Health Department gave them about 140 doses last Tuesday for its first MMR drive held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. last Thursday at the Student Union on the Edinburg campus.
There have not been any more cases of mumps on campus, according to Escalona.
โAs soon as we run out, theyโre going to give us more,โ she said, referring to the vaccines. โSo, honestly, I have no idea how deep that well is โฆ but so far, theyโve told us that theyโll give us whatever it is we need, but weโve not run out yet.โ
Staff and faculty can get their free MMR vaccine at the UTRGV Employee Health Clinic and students at the UTRGV Edinburg Health
Services Clinic.
Asked about the goal for these free vaccines, Escalona replied, โTo try and get as many students boosted as possible, especially because, like, over time, your immunity can wane.โ
She said individuals get two doses of the MMR vaccine, โonce when youโre 1 year old,โ and the second โwhen youโre 4 years old.โ
โAt 1, itโs about 75 percent effective, once you get that one shot,โ Escalona said. โOnce you get that second shot, itโs about 90 percent effective, but in that shot, you get an immunization for measles, mumps and rubella. Itโs really well known that the mumps part of it, kind of, like, wears out over time or has the ability to wear out more so than the other two.โ
She said a way to determine whether someone is immune to a disease or not would be to get their titers done. Titers is a way the lab must analyze peopleโs antibodies and seeing if they are sufficient for immunity.
Escalona said they are experienced with conducting titer tests since they conduct them routinely for health students in order for them to go into hospitals.
โWe have to make sure youโre immune; otherwise, the hospitals wonโt let [health students] in without knowing youโre immune to all three, so we run titers all the time,โ she said.
Escalona said students can visit the Health Services Clinic and get their titers done anytime.
Asked about her thoughts on the free vaccines, Lorenah Vasquez, a biology senior, replied, โI think itโs good that itโs giving more people chances at receiving the vaccines if they havenโt gotten theirs.โ
Vasquez said she was surprised when she first heard of the โmumps outbreak,โ especially since it was โmostly adults that were known to have it, since it usually affects children more.โ
โAt first, I considered getting a booster when I heard there was a mumps outbreak, but after looking into it on the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] site, I read it isnโt necessary to, if youโve evidence of immunity against them,โ she said.
