INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from UConn Student Health and Wellness mumps information page and NBC Connecticut and CBS New York reporting on the December 23 announcement787 chars
This message is to inform you that University of Connecticut Student Health and Wellness, in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, has identified three cases of mumps in students that were enrolled on the Storrs campus in the fall 2019 semester. Mumps is a viral infection spread through infected respiratory droplets, such as from sneezing or coughing. It is not usually dangerous but can be painful. Typical signs and symptoms include swelling of the face, cheeks, or jaw (parotitis), jaw pain, headache, and/or low grade fever. Symptoms develop within 12 to 25 days of exposure. If you experience these symptoms, contact your health care provider and inform them you may have been exposed to mumps. Please do not go to the emergency room without calling first.
This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
The notification was sent December 23 -- during winter break, when many students had already returned home -- reflecting both the urgency of the disclosure and the challenge of reaching students who may have already been dispersed across the country.
The instruction to 'not go to the emergency room without calling first' is a critical triage message designed to prevent overwhelmed ERs and to allow infection-control staff to prepare for potentially contagious patients.
The three initial cases grew to six by the time the outbreak was declared over January 19, 2020 -- a timeline consistent with mumps' 12-25 day incubation period allowing sequential transmission chains.