ORONO – College students in Maine who cannot demonstrate that they have received two doses of mumps vaccine will not be allowed to return to their residence halls or classrooms after the winter holiday break.

Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday that state rules recently were changed to specify two doses for all college students, up from one dose required previously. The change went into effect in December, she said.

“We wanted to give them a chance to dig around for their records over the holidays, or else to get the vaccines they need,” she said.

University of Maine spokesman Joe Carr said Monday that 1,906 students were notified that they lack adequate documentation of their immunization status. Those students will have to present updated records or they will be denied access to their classes and dorms when they return to campus on Jan. 14, he said.

So far, 992 of the students have been in contact with Cutler Health Center “to resolve their issues related to mumps immunity,” Carr said in an e-mail. Ninety-three have received immunizations at the health center, with another 44 scheduled for the next few days. Others have provided updated records or have discussed other options for coming into compliance with the law, he said.

The two-dose change reflects growing concern over an outbreak of mumps in Maine that was announced by the Maine CDC at the end of October. Mills said the number of suspected and confirmed cases in Maine now totals “well over 100.” As of mid-December, cases had been reported in 12 of Maine’s 16 counties.

No cases of mumps have been reported at the Orono campus, Carr said, but at least two cases were identified at the University of Southern Maine in November.

College campuses are among the sites public health officials monitor closely during an outbreak, since mumps is highly contagious and can spread quickly in close quarters. More than 900 people, mostly college students, have fallen ill in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick since last winter.

Mills said the new rule applies to all public and private colleges in Maine. She said private schools with younger student populations are likely to be less inconvenienced, since most people under age 30 will have had two mumps vaccines as part of routine childhood immunizations.

Campuses with a significant number of older, “nontraditional” students – such as the University of Maine campuses and the state’s community colleges – will find compliance more of a challenge, she predicted.

Carr said UMaine has scheduled mumps vaccine clinics for faculty and staff covered by the university’s health insurance plan on Wednesday, Jan. 9, Thursday, Jan. 10, and Wednesday, Jan. 16. Appointments are required and may be made by calling 581-4000.

mhaskell@bangordailynews.net

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