San Diego State football in disarray as alarming mumps outbreak leaves 32 players on injury report
San Diego State football is in crisis after a mumps outbreak within the team just days before their Pac-12 showdown against Texas State.
Students were informed by the university on Wednesday that San Diego County Public Health Services has confirmed 14 cases and one probable case so far. That has risen from an initial three confirmed and two probable cases.
They did, however, also confirm that the outbreak has so far been contained to a single athletic team.
While San Diego State has not yet announced it is the Aztecs football team, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the outbreak is within head coach Sean Lewis’s roster.
The team’s availability report that was published on Wednesday featured 32 players with 17 listed as either doubtful or out, although some of those are dealing with other injuries or problems.
Earlier this week, Lewis refused to name the players who are part of the mumps outbreak.
San Diego State Aztecs enter the field before last month’s game against the UCLA Bruins
Head coach Sean Lewis is dealing with a mumps outbreak within his football team
‘The football gods have not really favored us with the injury luck,’ Lewis told reporters Wednesday.
‘Guys have got to be ready to step into the light when the time comes. We’ve been given a nice storm here. But this too shall pass, and we’ve got to be able to see our way through it.’
In San Diego State’s message to students on Wednesday, Dr T Ghosh, medical director of San Diego State Student Health Services, said that ‘because mumps symptoms can develop 12 to 25 days after exposure, these new cases reflect spread within the team and potential exposure to additional close contacts. The university continues to take a number of daily actions.’
Mumps is a viral infection which spreads in the same way as colds and flu – mostly through the saliva of people who are infected.
The most common symptom is swelling of the parotid glands (saliva glands) at the side of the face, and people may also suffer from fever, headache, feeling sick, joint pain and a loss of appetite.
Although most people recover from mumps without any serious side effects, the virus can lead to complications including swelling of the pancreas or liver, and even meningitis.
Students have been advised not to share drinks, food, smoking or vaping devices with others. They’ve also been urged to wash their hands frequently and stay away from campus when they are sick.
Lewis’s Aztecs have had a rough start to the season, losing three of their opening four games to UCLA, James Madison and Toledo. Their sole victory came against Portland State on September 6.
