The measles outbreak that began in Disneyland and spread throughout the U.S. has prompted increased awareness and demand for vaccinations.

In an email to students, faculty and staff at Linfield, Patti Haddeland who is the director of the Student Health and Wellness Center wrote, “Measles is a highly contagious and potentially fatal illness spread through the respiratory route.”

“People may be conta­gious up to four days prior to developing symptoms of the illness,” wrote Had­deland.

With the illness being as contagious as it is, it is essential for students who are unsure if they have been vaccinated to check with their health care provider.

Haddeland also not­ed, “most pharmacies and health care offices have the vaccine” as it is a common vaccine for people to get.

The outbreak of measles has been linked to parents not getting their children vaccinated for personal beliefs against that vaccine, as some feel it causes autism.

The vaccine, Measles, Mumps and Rubella, more commonly known as MMR prevents people from being susceptible to all three of the illnesses.

Haddeland also expressed, “It’s not too late to get vaccinated.”

By not being vaccinated, people are at risk of catching the illness as well as spread­ing it.

An outbreak of mumps that started in Sept. 2014 at the University of Idaho has spread to parts of Washing­ton.

The MMR vaccine also prevents mumps.

“People who have never been vaccinated can have very serious complications,” said Sarah Correll who is an epidemiologist at the Cen­tral District Health Dept. in Boise, Idaho in a USA Today article.

Mumps, like measles is spread through the respira­tory route meaning that if someone who has mumps talks to people they are like­ly to spread the illness.

The University of Ore­gon is also seeing a bacte­rial meningitis outbreak mentioned Haddeland in an additional email.

Haddeland noted, “Vac­cine is the most effective way to protect from bacterial meningitis.”

In an article published by the University of Oregon’s student newspaper, The Daily Emerald, Jason Davis who is a public health offi­cial for Lane County said, “The illness is extremely hard to contract, so although students (at U of O) should be cautious, it’s extremely unlikely that the illness will spread.”

As college and universi­ty campuses are places that sicknesses often start and run rampant, it is crucial for students to seek immediate help if they think someone they know is affected by measles, mumps or bacterial meningitis.

The Student Health and Wellness Center located on campus in Walker hall 103 is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Health and Wellness Center is staffed with Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants who can help students address health concerns if they think they have been affected by the measles out­break.

The health center is required by Oregon law to have students provide doc­umentation that they have been vaccinated for mea­sles or have had the illness according to the Health and Wellness Center’s webpage.