"Over the last few weeks, the Department of Public Health in Limerick has been notified of 18 cases of mumps across the Mid-West area with over half of these among students at the University of Limerick," a HSE spokesman said.

Students have been offered immunisation through the Student Health Service and GPs across the region have been alerted to the rise in incidence.

The HSE is advising students on the UL campus to ensure that they are protected against mumps.

This health scare has occurred in the same week in which a visiting ban was brought in at the Regional Hospital, Dooradoyle after eight cases of the winter vomiting were confirmed in four different wards.

A spokesman for the HSE said that exceptions to the visiting ban will only be made in cases where patients are seriously ill. The number of cases had dropped to six by this Wednesday.

Regarding the outbreak of mumps the HSE advised that students should have received two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine in the past – this gives 99 per cent protection against mumps.

They should also have been immunised during the outbreak of mumps that occurred at the University of Limerick in March 2000 or already had clinical mumps.

"Individuals who are already immune in one of the ways listed above do not need to be vaccinated," the HSE stressed.

Students who think that they are not immune should attend the own General Practitioner or the Student Health Centre for this vaccine.

The symptoms of mumps include a low-grade fever and swelling or tenderness of one or more of the salivary glands in the cheeks under the jaw.