Concern Mounts Over Mumps
A mysterious epidemic of mumps has hit Iowa, with more than 300 cases reported since December.
That's more than the entire United States usually experiences in a year, and makes it the largest such epidemic since 1988.
Mumps,
It's normally very rare, thanks to a vaccine that's 95 percent effective. Children are routinely vaccinated in this country with two doses, one shot after their first birthday, and another between the ages of four and six.
Mumps is an infectious disease spread through the air by coughing and sneezing, or by contact with recently contaminated surfaces such as hands, tissues, or drinking glasses. It's most noticeable symptom is swelling of the salivary glands in the cheeks and throat. Other symptoms include fever, headache and sore throat.
There's no treatment for mumps, but most people get over it in a few days.
Still, Senay stresses, it's important to get vaccinated because, in some cases, it can cause serious complications such as hearing loss, meningitis, and sterility in men.
No one is sure why the Iowa epidemic is occurring or where it came from, Senay say, though there was a recent epidemic in the United Kingdom that may have been the source. In Iowa, it's affecting mainly young adults, including a lot of college kids.
Iowa has 365 confirmed or suspected cases, with additional ones now being reported in neighboring Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota and Kansas.The possibility that the outbreak could spread further worries health officials, Senay points out, because we're a highly mobile society. Adding to the mystery is that a lot of people who have come down with mumps in Iowa had been vaccinated.
To combat the epidemic, patients in Iowa are being asked to call their doctor if they think they have mumps, rather than come in, and if mumps is the likely cause of symptoms, they're being asked to isolate themselves for five days after those symptoms start.
Quarantine isn't being used for people who come in contact with those who've been infected. Health officials in Iowa and from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating, to try to find out how it's spreading and why so many people are coming down with it.
Five percent of people still remain vulnerable even after two doses of vaccine. It isn't known if the vaccine's effectiveness weakens over time.
If you've had mumps, already you have full immunity, Senay adds.
If not, health officials suggest that you make sure you have had two regular doses of the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR vaccine. Two doses only became routine in 1989, after the last epidemic, so a lot of people might need that extra shot to maintain protection.
Basic hygiene, such as hand washing and covering the mouth when coughing and sneezing, are useful in preventing mumps infection as well.