CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) - Authorities say 54 cases of mumps have been confirmed among students at Southeast Missouri State University.
KFVS-TV reports that there also are another 23 probable cases among students at the Cape Girardeau school. School leaders believe the peak of the mumps outbreak has passed, but expect to see more positive cases on campus and in the community. Students are being urged to receive a booster dose of the vaccine that protects against mumps, as well as measles and rubella.
Mumps is a viral infection that causes swelling in the salivary glands and cheeks.
Missouri campuses have been hard hit this school year. More than 300 confirmed and probable cases were reported at the University of Missouri's flagship campus in Columbia.