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August
Mumps Outbreak Hits Close To HomeWorst outbreak of mumps in decades reaches Pa.Lehigh Valley, PA (August 25, 2006) -- On average the U.S. sees 265 mumps cases each year. But this year marks the worst outbreak of mumps in 20 years with 2,869 cases, and half of those occurring in Iowa and other Midwestern states. There also have been a few occurrences in Pennsylvania.Eight confirmed cases have been reported at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and there have been 65 probable and suspected cases in other areas of Pa., and only one suspected case of mumps at Lafayette College in the Lehigh Valley. Mumps is an infection caused by the mumps virus, and is recognized by the characteristic swelling of the salivary glands. Other symptoms of mumps may include fever, headache, tiredness and loss of appetite. Mumps can also cause swollen testicles in 20 to 30 percent of males who have reached puberty, and painful, swollen breasts in 30 percent of women who have reached puberty. Severe complications from mumps are rare. “Symptoms of mumps will typically show up after 16-18 days after being infected. You are contagious three days before symptoms surface, and nine days after symptoms go away,” says infectious diseases expert, Jaan Naktin, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the likely start of these outbreaks is due to college campus living. “Here you have all these kids who are studying hard, not eating right, not getting the rest they need and it weakens their immune system,” says Naktin. “The mumps vaccine itself is only 90 percent effective when given properly, and on college campuses, students from all types of vaccination backgrounds mix together, and the campus becomes a breeding ground for viruses.” Children should receive two mumps vaccines. The first should be given at 12 to 14 months of age, and another when they are four to six years of age. Naktin stresses that children need to be properly immunized and up-to-date with all of their vaccinations before they go to college to prevent outbreaks. This page last updated 2/19/08 10:02 PM
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