Are you Fully Immunised Against MUMPS?

Aged Between 18 and 25?

This information could prevent you from getting Mumps!

• If you are aged between 18 and 25, there's a very good chance that you've had only one dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)* vaccine. You need two doses of the MMR to be properly immunised. There have recently been outbreaks of mumps among teenagers and young people because they have not been fully protected.
• Mumps is an acute viral illness that causes fever, headache and painful swollen glands. It is spread from person to person by coughs and sneezes. It can also be transmitted by direct contact through saliva.
• It can cause viral meningitis and permanent deafness. Much rarer, but very painful complications of the mumps, are inflammation of the pancreas and of the ovaries and testicles.
• The only effective way to prevent mumps is to have two MMR vaccinations. If you don't know if you've had MMR before, having more than two doses won't do you any harm.
• MMR Vaccine is available free of charge from the Student Health Department 

If you need vaccination call Student Health on: 021-4902311

* The MMR vaccine was first introduced into Ireland in 1998 for all babies over one year of age. From 1992 a second dose of MMR was offered to children aged 11-12 years. This means that there is a large group of people in their late teens and early twenties who will have received only one MMR injection, so it is important that you have MMR now. If you're not sure if you ever had MMR before, then you should have one dose now and make an appointment to have a second dose in three months time. Even if you had one or two doses in the past, having more won't do you any harm.