Three outbreaks of mumps at third-level colleges across the State are being investigated, write Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent & Liam Horan.
Athlone Institute of Technology, Letterkenny Institute of Technology and St Patrick's College, Maynooth, have all been hit by outbreaks of the viral infection, which causes tenderness and swelling of the parotid gland in the neck.
The number of cases reported to date is 75, more than double the number reported for the whole country at this time last year. The outbreak here comes after a number of cases were reported recently in third-level colleges in the UK.
The biggest outbreak in recent days is in Athlone, where staff and students have been offered free mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccines to prevent the virus spreading. Some 40 cases have been reported at the college in the past week.
Students with mumps symptoms, which often include fever and headaches, have been told to stay at home. Last week the Midland Health Board (MHB) had considered shutting down the college and cancelling graduation ceremonies.
Students' Union president Ms Brigid Malone said the college might close if "the numbers of those with the symptoms continue to rise". College authorities said they were leaving the matter to the health board.
The North Western Health Board said its public health doctors were investigating 30 reported cases of mumps in Donegal, and the Eastern Regional Health Authority said there were five confirmed cases at a third-level college in the South Western Area Health Board region.
The MHB said "greater social mixing" could be a factor in the rapid spread of the virus throughout the college.
The board said one of the reasons for the outbreak was that most of the people affected were born before the MMR vaccine was introduced in 1988, or had only received one dose, so they were not fully protected. Parents are being urged to ensure children receive the MMR.
Dr Suzanne Cotter, a specialist in public health with the National Disease Surveillance Centre, said there had been 32 mumps cases reported for the whole country at this time last year, so there had been "a marked increase". She added that there was "a constant trickle" of mumps cases every year, but outbreaks were relatively rare.
"It does highlight the importance of vaccine-preventable diseases - not just for children but also for adults," she said.