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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED SINCE 1889 BY THE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1989
(USPS 650-640)
VOL.99,NO.74
Lawrence's mumps epidemic baffles experts
by Candy Niemann Kansan staff writer
The mumps outbreak in Lawrence has been continuing at endemic proportions.
While KU students were away on break, the number of reported cases in Douglas County rose to 170. Nineteen of those were KU students.
With students arriving back on campus this
week, I will be more likely to warn before it gets good weather.
likely to get worse if it starts swelling. Those infected with mumps suffer fever, head ache, lack of appetite and glandular swelling in the jaw area.
The fact that the outbreak is occurring in schools with high immunization rates is puzzling officials. In recent years, murpms epidemics have occurred mostly in areas with lower immunization rates.
Ky Kent, administrator and health officer for the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, said that in some of the Douglas County schools where outbreaks were occurring, immunization rates were 100 percent. The average immunization rate for Lawrence is 99 percent.
Of the 131 school children who have contracted the disease, only two were not immunized.
Of the 19 KU students who got the mumps, all of them said that they were immunized.
Although the mumps immunization has a failure rate of five to 10 percent, outbreaks do not usually occur in areas with high immunization rates, officials said.
This information prompted the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta to send three researchers to Lawrence to investigate the situation. The researchers arrived Jan. 4 and expect to stay here through sometime next week.
Cindy Wood, state epidemiologist for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said that the researchers were looking into several possible explanations for the outbreak.
She said the most likely explanation was that Lawrence was a community that hadn't experienced a mumps outbreak for several years and that the disease was affecting the most susceptible people.
The researchers also are looking into the possibility that health department records of immunization levels in Lawrence are wrong and the theory that there is a new strain of the mumps virus. But Wood said that both possibilities were unlikely.
wood said that both posses the. The researchers also will be searching for differences between the children who have gotten mumps and those who have not.
mumps and those who have not Upon their return to Atlanta, the researchers will analyze the data and try to come up with reasons for the outbreak.
Bradley Hersh, medical epidemiologist for the division of immunization for the CDC, said that he was most concerned about stopping the outbreak before it gets worse.
before it gets worse.
"People who are unaware of their status should come in for immunization." Hersh said. "And anyone experiencing symptoms should call or come in immediately. We want to put this fire out before it starts."
before it starts.
Kent said that the disease was extremely contagious and was spread from person-to-person in saliva spread by coughing, sneezing and talking.
Charles Yockey, chief of staff at Watkins Health Department, said that the disease was communicable for an average of six days before and after its outbreak
"What students really need to understand is that if you drink out of someone's Coke on Wednesday and he comes down with the mumps on Thursday, you have been exposed," he said.
"If you get the mumps once, there is still a 10 percent chance of you getting it again, and there is no reason to think that the vaccine would be more effective than getting the disease.
"It is likely that this outbreak will continue all the way through graduation."
Yockey recommended that those who got the mugs isolate themselves from others.
He estimated that between five and 15 percent of all college students had not been vaccinated for the mumps.
Complications of the disease include inflammation of the testes in 15 to 20 percent of males past puberty who get the mumps, which in rare cases leads to sterility. About 5 percent of females past puberty who have the disease experience inflammation of the ovaries, which also could lead to sterility in rare cases.
For both sexes, complications could include central nervous system afflictions such as meningitis in 3.5 cases out of every 1,000; deafness in one case out of every 15,000 cases; and rare cases of inflammation of the pancreas.
Wood said that the most famous recent mumps outbreak occurred at the Chicago futures exchange during the 1987 market crash.
Mumps began showing up in brokers on the futures floor, but many of them did not stay home while infected because of the crash.
Health officials try to reach students with no vaccination
by Mario Talkington
Kansan staff writer
As the mumps outbreak at the University of Kansas continues to swell, KU officials are trying to spread the word about the disease and the availability of the vaccine.
"We're trying to in touch with everyone that has never been vaccinated with MMR," the vaccine for measles, and who is infected. Charles Yokey, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
"We're placing ads in the Kansan and placing posts all over town," okeye wrote. "We'll enroll with two physicians to answer questions."
Despite health officials' efforts to reach students, only 47 have been vaccinated in the past two days.
"I'm very disappointed," Yockey said. "There may be as many as 2,000 students that need to be vaccinated. The message needs to get out."
Health officials first began trying to alert students in December after the first cases of students with mumps were reported at Watkins. Reaching the students was difficult because classes had ended and the Kansan had finished publication for the semester, Yockey said.
Last semester, Yockey sent out announcements for professors to read to students before each final exam and placed ads with KJHK and KANU, urging students to call Watkins for information.
"The majority of our calls were from people who wanted to be better vaccinated," Yokey said. "The problem is that you can't."
Yockey said that individuals who were vaccinated after 12 months of age should be protected from mumps. Students who could not remember or find proof that they had been immunized should
See IMMUNIZATION, p. 6, col. 3
Latin center co-directors to leave post
New director will receive chance to reshape program
by Thom Clark Kansan staff writer
The co-directors of KU's Center for Latin American Studies have chosen not to renew their contracts with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences after this semester.
College of Liberal Arts but
Charles Stansifer, who had been the center's sole
director from 1987 to 1993 and then co-director since 1987,
not renew his contract because he wanted
to give someone else a chance to rebuild the program. He also said he wanted to devote more time to his family and research study.
research study.
Jon Vincent, who has been co-director since 1967 and is the only Portuguese-teaching member of the department of Spanish and Portuguese, said he would not renew his contract with the center because of his full teaching schedule.
Stansifer said the committee on Latin American Studies would meet on Jan. 26 to discuss possible candidates for the next director. Then the committee will submit a recommendation to the dean of liberal arts and sciences, who will appoint a director.
sciences, who in an appraisal "I believe the Center for Latin American Studies is in a transition period, and it seemed like it was a good time for me to hand it over to someone else." Stansifer said.
Stansifer, professor of history, considers himself most proficient in external relations, such as grant writing, and thinks the rebuilding of the Latin American studies program will take precedence this year.
program will take place.
Stanisier said several faculty members who teach Latin American studies would be retiring or resigning in the next two years and the next director would have the opportunity to shape the future. He said he wanted to give that opportunity to someone else.
Vincent, professor of Spanish and Portuguese, said the University's decision not to provide an additional Portuguese-teaching staff member in the department would restrict his participation in the center.
restrict his participation to the success of the Vincent said he could contribute to the success of the Latin American studies program by continuing his participation in the department.
participation in the deposition.
"You have to have a Portuguese program to receive funding for the Latin American studies," Vincent said. "And the stronger the program, the better."
would be missed in the教科书.
"I had a class with Professor Stansifer and found him
the main attracting feature for the Latin American
(studies program)," Fritz said.
"And Bruce Fritz, Wichita graduate student, said Stansifer would be missed in the capacity as co-director."
He said the program would be able to sustain itself in Stansifer's absence, but believed it would be important that the committee recommend someone who would be capable of attracting federal dollars to the program.
Although both Stansifer and Vincent said they were discouraged that the Latin American Studies program did not receive the full amount of the $125,000 requested of the Department of Education, Stansifer said he was proud the center had been successful in drawing almost $2 million in financial support since 1975.
$2 million in funding. Stansifer also said he was proud of the improvement the center demonstrated in the past 15 years. He said he is most pleased that the center had served as a communication link between Latin American and North American students who study the language, history and culture of Latin America.
Stamier said he would miss the daily routine and the staff at the center.
staff at the center.
"The staff" is very supportive," Stansifer said. "I think what I'll miss more than anything else is the very loyal and hardworking staff."
Vincent said he would miss the variety the center provided in his daily academic routine. He said the position at the center gave him the opportunity to travel a lot and to meet several different people in Latin America
Next, please
KU students gather on the fifth floor of the Kansas Union to pay fees
Mail-in fee payment scheduled for 1991
by Stan Diel
Kansan staff writer
By Spring 1991, University of Kansas students may be paying their fees by mail, a student records official said yesterday.
yesterday.
Gary Thompson, director of student records and chairman of the Fees Policy Committee, said payment by mail would be the third step in a three-phase program designed to make fee payment easier on students and faculty.
faculty. The first phase of the program, the writing of new computer programs for the fee payment process, already is complete. The only change the students see as a result of the new programs is the replacement of computer punch cards with full page statements, Thompson said.
"What the students see is about two percent of what we've changed," Thompson said.
Thompson said the second stage of the process, which is planned to take effect in Spring 1990, would incorporate financial aid into students' payment statements. Money that students receive in scholarships and financial aid will be deducted automatically from the balance due, simplifying payment.
simplifying payment. The final phase of the program, payment by mail, is planned to go into effect in spring 1991. In the program, students will be billed in July with payment due Aug. 1
students. "Students with good summer jobs won't have to leave them early to pay fees," Thompson said.
Also available will be an installment program in which half the payment will be due Aug. 1 and half due Oct. 1. The installation plan will cost more than a lump sum payment but the difference has not been determined yet, Thompson said.
ompson said. The change in the system, the first since 1955, will allow
faculty two weeks after cancelling the enrollments of no shows to determine how much space is needed for new students enrolling at the semester. Under the current system, faculty have one day to make decisions about providing classes for new students.
providing classes for new students. Dave Shulenburger, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the program would allow a more efficient use of resources.
"A major problem is space in courses occupied by people who don't show up." Shulenburger said "We can allocate those spaces to other students."
The Fees Policy Committee coordinated the changes between departments. Thompson said. Because of the coordination, students living in University housing would not face two large bills in the same month. If a student had a fee payment due Oct. 1, he would not have a housing bill due at the same time.
Polish government paves way to legalize Solidarity trade union
The Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland — The way is clear to make the Solidarity trade union legal again, a Communist Party leader said yesterday.
Also, the Politburo met behind closed doors to iron out details after a bitter internal fight.
The text of the Politburo's final position paper was not released, but chief party ideologist Marian Orzechowski told state radio it was a great turning point.
He indicated that it specifically named Solidarity and opened the way to a process for legalizing the banned union.
"It opens the road to restoration of trade union pluralism, including Solidarity, formulating at the same
time a number of conditions which have to be fulfilled so the read is not too bumpy." Orzechowski said. But it
the road is not too bumpy." Orzechwahs,
"We don't know the reaction of the other side yet. But I think that the most important thing has been said. The 'magic word' was used in the document. The basic barrier which has been blocking all practical steps has been overcome.
"Generally, it is a great turning point."
Generally, it is a great turbulent election. Solidarity leader Lech Wesla and insisted on a clear statement of its wiliness to recognize his union before he wielded power to inter talk with the government about Poland's future.
Poland's future.
Prime Minister Mieczyslaw F. Rakowski had asked the
Central Committee for a green light to offer
to restore the union's legal status for a two-year trial period on the condition that it help authorities in its economic and political reforms.
Referring to the conditions, Orzechowski said they were necessary.
were needed.
"They are not made up. They stem from our experience and from the foreseen potential effects of the developing events," he said, urging the opposition to show a sense of responsibility.
At least one opposition figure said he viewed chances for national agreement as improved after the 17-hour debate by the party Central Committee. He said it seemed talks could begin soon on Solidarity's future.