Mumps??

[ladyfish]

Yes, it would be helpful to have a bit more information on just WHO is getting the disease. Between the vaccine or having been exposed/had it as a child you would "think" most Americans (other than the 10% talked about in the article) would be immune.

Leads one to believe it is folks who either never were vaccinated, didn't get exposed, or the vaccine didn't work. I guess that's what the Center for Disease Control is for!!!

Keep those germs away!!!

[Satori78]

I live in Iowa and it's a pretty big deal--they are doing a free MMR shot clinic for 18-22 year-olds who haven't had it or the actual mumps. One of the issues though is some people who have had the vac. are still getting sick. I think it's supposed to be a slightly different strain. It also sounds like it started on one of the campuses (at least in Dubuque where I live). With the college kids mere weeks from heading home, hopefully it won't become more widespread than it already is. You can't pick up the paper or turn on local news without hearing about it.

[fixedgeargirl]

I'm headed out on for a ride, so this may seem brusque (sp?)

• Up to 30% of people who contract mumps are asymptomatic. You may have it and never suffer from it at all.
• In Iowa, 64% of those developing symptomatic mumps in this outbreak have had 2 doses of the MMR. Another 10% have had 1 dose. Three percent are confirmed to be unvaccinated. The rest are unknown pending searches of medical records.
• It takes up to 2 weeks for the vaccine to become effective.

This is the mumps information the CDC gives to professionals on their website:

What about mumps complications?
Severe complications of mumps are rare. However, mumps can cause acquired sensorineural hearing loss in children; incidence is estimated at 1 in 20,000 cases. Mumps-associated encephalitis occurs in < 2 per 100,000 cases and approximately 1% of encephalitis cases are fatal.

Some complications of mumps are known to occur more frequently among adults than among children. Adults have a higher risk for mumps meningoencephalitis than children. In addition, orchitis occurs in up to 30-40%of cases in post pubertal males. Although it is frequently bilateral, it rarely causes sterility. Mastitis has been reported in as many as 31% of female patients older than 15 years who have mumps.

Other rare complications of mumps are oophoritis and pancreatitis.
Aseptic meningitis occurs in 10% of cases and is associated with a good prognosis. Although mumps infection in the first trimester of pregnancy may result in fetal loss, there is no evidence that mumps during pregnancy causes congenital malformations.

We talk a lot in this forum about acceptable risk. You can't make an informed decision about that acceptable risk if the facts (in this case, statistics) are not all available to you.

[Lise]

Oopheritis? Inflammation of the ovaries? That's wild. But it makes sense, since the guys can get inflammation of their analogous organs (how's that for discrete wording?! )

[snapdragen]

I figure if it becomes serious in my world, my employer will have us lined up for blood tests/shots. One of the benefits/joys of working in a hospital......

[annie]

I live in Iowa and it's a pretty big deal--they are doing a free MMR shot clinic for 18-22 year-olds who haven't had it or the actual mumps. One of the issues though is some people who have had the vac. are still getting sick. I think it's supposed to be a slightly different strain. It also sounds like it started on one of the campuses (at least in Dubuque where I live). With the college kids mere weeks from heading home, hopefully it won't become more widespread than it already is. You can't pick up the paper or turn on local news without hearing about it.

Satori 78,

You live in Dubuque??? So do I! How 'bout that!
I also am living in a hotbed of mumps right now! Three sons down and one to go..... (well, I hope not, but I doubt he'll avoid it.) They ALL had their vacinations when they were kids. The three of them WITH the mumps all had booster shots before starting college. Yet, they still got them. Fortunately, they haven't had any complications are on the upswing now and feeling pretty good. I also have heard it started at one of the college campuses, from an out-of-country visitor. Not that it matters how it started, I guess. It certainly spread!!

Interesting how we think we have a certain disease under control and it pops up and there isn't anything we can do to control it! Scary, actually.

annie