The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has reported a mumps outbreak at the College of Charleston (CofC). Clemson students currently taking classes on CofC’s campus have been contacted by Student Health Services about submitting proof of immunity, and Clemson University faculty and staff working in the Charleston area have also been contacted about determining immunity.
While there have been no reported positive cases at Clemson, campus officials are taking this opportunity to remind all faculty and staff to determine immunity to measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). Employees who have been vaccinated should locate medical records as soon as possible, as potentially exposed employees unable to produce proof of immunity during a campus outbreak could be subject to an extensive absence from work.
Employees are considered to be protected from MMR with written documentation showing at least one of the following:
- You received two doses of the MMR vaccine.
- A laboratory confirmed you had MMR at some point in your life.
- A laboratory confirmed you are immune to MMR.
- You were born before 1957.
Faculty and staff who have not been immunized should receive the MMR vaccine immediately. Faculty and staff are encouraged to contact their primary care physicians, local urgent care facilities or local pharmacies for MMR vaccinations, which are covered fully by the South Carolina state health plan for benefits-eligible employees.
- Receiving your MMR vaccine at a pharmacy: Check with your pharmacist to confirm that the pharmacy provides MMR vaccines. Your MMR vaccine and administration fee will be paid in full under the SC state health plan.
- Receiving your MMR vaccine at a doctor’s office: If you receive the vaccine in a participating network doctor’s office, the MMR vaccine and administration fee will be paid in full under the SC state health plan; any associated office visit charges will be processed according to your regular plan coverage rules.
Immunization clinics and resources are available for employees on the main campus through the Joseph F. Sullivan Center.
Issued by University Relations