CHICAGO (CBS) — Health officials in the suburbs have begun offering free mumps vaccines to students heading back to campus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Last week, the DuPage County gave free shots to U of I students, and now the Lake County Health Department is doing the same, because of a mumps outbreak at the university’s downstate campus.
The university is trying to stop an outbreak that sickened dozens of students this summer.
Officials said it’s especially important for students who live in dorms, fraternities, or sororities, where exposure is greater.
Health experts said, even if a student has received the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine in the past, he or she should get a booster shot before returning to campus.
