Mumps 'Epidemic' in Iowa, Health Officials Confirm

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/1/2006 4:30:09 PM Central Standard Time,

elyse-g@... writes:

<<Of the 245 patients this year, at least 66 percent had had the recommended

two-shot vaccination, while 14 percent had received one dose, the Public

Health Department said.

" The vaccine is working, " Quinlisk said. " The vaccine certainly was made to

cover this particular strain, because it's a fairly common strain of mumps. " >>

I tend to stay pretty neutral in the vaccine debates but stories like this

confuse and concern me. If at least 66% of the people who got the mumps have

had all the recommended mumps vaccines and a total of 80% of those who got it

had at least one dose, how does that show that the vaccine is working? Kind of

makes one wonder if there's some sort of mutation going on but then I'd think

they'd be able to see that in testing.

Even though, when I was a child, my entire family got the mumps, I never had

the mumps. I got the vaccine in college. Strangely, when we ran titer

testing on all the vaccines for my son a few years ago, mumps was the only one

that

showed what some would consider high titers. He only received one MMR shot

though at last check at age 12, still showed the titers to be immune to all

three diseases.

Gaylen

[Guest guest]

Gaylen,

My son had only one MMR and, as of age 11, is still immune to all three

diseases.

I had exactly the same reaction when I read that article. So many

vaccinated people got the disease. It makes you wonder what is going on.....

Sharon

[Guest guest]

HYPERLINK " http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,190040,00.html " Mumps

'Epidemic' in Iowa, Health Officials Confirm

Friday, March 31, 2006

DES MOINES, Iowa — A mumps epidemic is sweeping across Iowa in the nation's

biggest outbreak in at least 17 years, baffling health officials and

worrying parents.

As of Thursday, 245 confirmed, probable or suspected cases of mumps had been

reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health since mid-January.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is the

nation's only outbreak, which the CDC defines as five or more cases in a

concentrated area.

" We are calling this an epidemic, " s! aid Iowa state epidemiologist Dr.

Quinlisk, explaining that mumps has spread to more than one-third

of the state and does not appear to be confined to certain age groups or

other sectors of the population.

Quinlisk said Iowa has had about five cases of mumps a year in recent years,

and this is the first large outbreak in nearly 20 years.

" We're trying to figure out why is it happening, why is it happening in Iowa

and why is it happening right now. We don't know, " she said.

CDC spokeswoman Lola said the federal agency has no answers yet. But

Quinlisk said one theory is that the infection was brought over from England

— perhaps by a college student — because the strain seen in Iowa has been

identified by the CDC as the same one that has caused tens of thousands of

cases of the mumps in a major outbreak in Britain over the past two years.

" It may have been a college student, since we did se! e the first activities

on college campuses, but we can't prove that, & q uot; Quinlisk said. The

Public Health Department said 23 percent of the 245 reported patients are in

college.

The CDC said it is the nation's biggest epidemic of mumps since 269 cases

were reported in County, Kan., from October 1988 to April 1989.

Mumps is a viral infection of the salivary glands. Symptoms include fever,

headache, muscle aches and swelling of the glands close to the jaw. It can

cause serious complications, including meningitis, damage to the testicles

and deafness.

A mumps vaccine was introduced in 1967. Iowa law requires schoolchildren to

be vaccinated against measles and rubella, and the mumps vaccine is included

in the same shot. The state's last major outbreak was in 1987, when 476

people were infected.

Of the 245 patients this year, at least 66 percent had had the recommended

two-shot vaccination, while 14 percent had received one dose, the Public

Health Department said.

" The vaccine is! working, " Quinlisk said. " The vaccine certainly was made to

cover this particular strain, because it's a fairly common strain of mumps. "

Quinlisk said the vaccine overall is considered about 95 percent effective.

Quinlisk said the mumps outbreak started in eastern Iowa and is spreading

statewide and possibly into the neighboring states of Illinois, Minnesota

and Nebraska. Those states may have one or two cases, she said.

When 11-year-old Will Hean of Davenport starting feeling sick in

mid-January, his family thought he had a bad case of the flu. But his face

and throat swelled and his temperature climbed to 103. His parents took him

to the doctor, and he was diagnosed to their surprise with full-blown mumps.

About two weeks later, the Heans' daughter, Kate, 21, came down with the

mumps, too.

Both children had gotten the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR. So

had their other son, 13-year-old Jimmy, who did n! ot get the mumps.

" He had all the shots and everything . You don't think you're going to get

the mumps after you've been inoculated, " said Will's father, Wayne Hean.

--

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Checked by AVG Free Edition.

Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.4/299 - Release Date: 3/31/2006

[Guest guest]

this is interesting, Elyse. Thanks for sharing it.

Barb

--- Elyse Goldberg <elyse-g@...> wrote:

> HYPERLINK

>

" http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,190040,00.html " Mumps

> 'Epidemic' in Iowa, Health Officials Confirm

> Friday, March 31, 2006

>

> DES MOINES, Iowa — A mumps epidemic is sweeping

> across Iowa in the nation's

> biggest outbreak in at least 17 years, baffling

> health officials and

> worrying parents.

>

> As of Thursday, 245 confirmed, probable or suspected

> cases of mumps had been

> reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health

> since mid-January.

>

> The federal Centers for Disease Control and

> Prevention said it is the

> nation's only outbreak, which the CDC defines as

> five or more cases in a

> concentrated area.

>

> " We are calling this an epidemic, " s! aid Iowa state

> epidemiologist Dr.

> Quinlisk, explaining that mumps has spread

> to more than one-third

> of the state and does not appear to be confined to

> certain age groups or

> other sectors of the population.

>

> Quinlisk said Iowa has had about five cases of mumps

> a year in recent years,

> and this is the first large outbreak in nearly 20

> years.

>

> " We're trying to figure out why is it happening, why

> is it happening in Iowa

> and why is it happening right now. We don't know, "

> she said.

>

> CDC spokeswoman Lola said the federal agency

> has no answers yet. But

> Quinlisk said one theory is that the infection was

> brought over from England

> — perhaps by a college student — because the strain

> seen in Iowa has been

> identified by the CDC as the same one that has

> caused tens of thousands of

> cases of the mumps in a major outbreak in Britain

> over the past two years.

>

> " It may have been a college student, since we did

> se! e the first activities

> on college campuses, but we can't prove that, & q uot;

> Quinlisk said. The

> Public Health Department said 23 percent of the 245

> reported patients are in

> college.

>

> The CDC said it is the nation's biggest epidemic of

> mumps since 269 cases

> were reported in County, Kan., from October

> 1988 to April 1989.

>

> Mumps is a viral infection of the salivary glands.

> Symptoms include fever,

> headache, muscle aches and swelling of the glands

> close to the jaw. It can

> cause serious complications, including meningitis,

> damage to the testicles

> and deafness.

>

> A mumps vaccine was introduced in 1967. Iowa law

> requires schoolchildren to

> be vaccinated against measles and rubella, and the

> mumps vaccine is included

> in the same shot. The state's last major outbreak

> was in 1987, when 476

> people were infected.

>

> Of the 245 patients this year, at least 66 percent

> had had the recommended

> two-shot vaccination, while 14 percent had received

> one dose, the Public

> Health Department said.

>

> " The vaccine is! working, " Quinlisk said. " The

> vaccine certainly was made to

> cover this particular strain, because it's a fairly

> common strain of mumps. "

> Quinlisk said the vaccine overall is considered

> about 95 percent effective.

>

> Quinlisk said the mumps outbreak started in eastern

> Iowa and is spreading

> statewide and possibly into the neighboring states

> of Illinois, Minnesota

> and Nebraska. Those states may have one or two

> cases, she said.

>

> When 11-year-old Will Hean of Davenport starting

> feeling sick in

> mid-January, his family thought he had a bad case of

> the flu. But his face

> and throat swelled and his temperature climbed to

> 103. His parents took him

> to the doctor, and he was diagnosed to their

> surprise with full-blown mumps.

>

> About two weeks later, the Heans' daughter, Kate,

> 21, came down with the

> mumps, too.

>

> Both children had gotten the measles, mumps and

> rubella vaccine, or MMR. So

> had their other son, 13-year-old Jimmy, who did n!

> ot get the mumps.

>

> " He had all the shots and everything . You don't

> think you're going to get

> the mumps after you've been inoculated, " said Will's

> father, Wayne Hean.

>

>

>

>

> --

> No virus found in this outgoing message.

> Checked by AVG Free Edition.

> Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.4/299 -

> Release Date: 3/31/2006

>

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

>

> Responsibility for the content of this message lies

> strictly with

> the original author(s), and is not necessarily

> endorsed by or the

> opinion of the Research Institute and/or the

> Parent Coalition.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Elyse...

I guess I'm glad we're not going anywhere for Spring Break.

Caroline

[Guest guest]

Elyse: Is it possible this is a new strain that is not covered in the typical

vaccines that our children receive? Is it also possible that this strain is

resistant to the vaccine?

Elyse Goldberg <elyse-g@...> wrote:

HYPERLINK " http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,190040,00.html " Mumps

'Epidemic' in Iowa, Health Officials Confirm

Friday, March 31, 2006

DES MOINES, Iowa — A mumps epidemic is sweeping across Iowa in the nation's

biggest outbreak in at least 17 years, baffling health officials and

worrying parents.

As of Thursday, 245 confirmed, probable or suspected cases of mumps had been

reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health since mid-January.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is the

nation's only outbreak, which the CDC defines as five or more cases in a

concentrated area.

" We are calling this an epidemic, " s! aid Iowa state epidemiologist Dr.

Quinlisk, explaining that mumps has spread to more than one-third

of the state and does not appear to be confined to certain age groups or

other sectors of the population.

Quinlisk said Iowa has had about five cases of mumps a year in recent years,

and this is the first large outbreak in nearly 20 years.

" We're trying to figure out why is it happening, why is it happening in Iowa

and why is it happening right now. We don't know, " she said.

CDC spokeswoman Lola said the federal agency has no answers yet. But

Quinlisk said one theory is that the infection was brought over from England

— perhaps by a college student — because the strain seen in Iowa has been

identified by the CDC as the same one that has caused tens of thousands of

cases of the mumps in a major outbreak in Britain over the past two years.

" It may have been a college student, since we did se! e the first activities

on college campuses, but we can't prove that, & q uot; Quinlisk said. The

Public Health Department said 23 percent of the 245 reported patients are in

college.

The CDC said it is the nation's biggest epidemic of mumps since 269 cases

were reported in County, Kan., from October 1988 to April 1989.

Mumps is a viral infection of the salivary glands. Symptoms include fever,

headache, muscle aches and swelling of the glands close to the jaw. It can

cause serious complications, including meningitis, damage to the testicles

and deafness.

A mumps vaccine was introduced in 1967. Iowa law requires schoolchildren to

be vaccinated against measles and rubella, and the mumps vaccine is included

in the same shot. The state's last major outbreak was in 1987, when 476

people were infected.

Of the 245 patients this year, at least 66 percent had had the recommended

two-shot vaccination, while 14 percent had received one dose, the Public

Health Department said.

" The vaccine is! working, " Quinlisk said. " The vaccine certainly was made to

cover this particular strain, because it's a fairly common strain of mumps. "

Quinlisk said the vaccine overall is considered about 95 percent effective.

Quinlisk said the mumps outbreak started in eastern Iowa and is spreading

statewide and possibly into the neighboring states of Illinois, Minnesota

and Nebraska. Those states may have one or two cases, she said.

When 11-year-old Will Hean of Davenport starting feeling sick in

mid-January, his family thought he had a bad case of the flu. But his face

and throat swelled and his temperature climbed to 103. His parents took him

to the doctor, and he was diagnosed to their surprise with full-blown mumps.

About two weeks later, the Heans' daughter, Kate, 21, came down with the

mumps, too.

Both children had gotten the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR. So

had their other son, 13-year-old Jimmy, who did n! ot get the mumps.

" He had all the shots and everything . You don't think you're going to get

the mumps after you've been inoculated, " said Will's father, Wayne Hean.

--

No virus found in this outgoing message.

Checked by AVG Free Edition.

Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.4/299 - Release Date: 3/31/2006

[Guest guest]

,

According to the report posted, health authorities in Iowa about the strain

believed to have been carried over from Britain by a student........... " The

vaccine is! working, " Quinlisk said. " The vaccine certainly was made to

cover this particular strain, because it's a fairly common strain of mumps. "

Quinlisk said the vaccine overall is considered about 95 percent

effective.,,,,,,,,,

So is the vaccine really effective....are the inoculation rates

sufficient... see the article again - only 14% of those infected had had one

dose..so perhaps lost immunity sooner?

Re: Mumps 'Epidemic' in Iowa, Health Officials Confirm

Elyse: Is it possible this is a new strain that is not covered in the

typical vaccines that our children receive? Is it also possible that this

strain is resistant to the vaccine?

Elyse Goldberg <elyse-g@...> wrote:

HYPERLINK " http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,190040,00.html " Mumps

'Epidemic' in Iowa, Health Officials Confirm

Friday, March 31, 2006

DES MOINES, Iowa — A mumps epidemic is sweeping across Iowa in the nation's

biggest outbreak in at least 17 years, baffling health officials and

worrying parents.

As of Thursday, 245 confirmed, probable or suspected cases of mumps had been

reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health since mid-January.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is the

nation's only outbreak, which the CDC defines as five or more cases in a

concentrated area.

" We are calling this an epidemic, " s! aid Iowa state epidemiologist Dr.

Quinlisk, explaining that mumps has spread to more than one-third

of the state and does not appear to be confined to certain age groups or

other sectors of the population.

Quinlisk said Iowa has had about five cases of mumps a year in recent years,

and this is the first large outbreak in nearly 20 years.

" We're trying to figure out why is it happening, why is it happening in Iowa

and why is it happening right now. We don't know, " she said.

CDC spokeswoman Lola said the federal agency has no answers yet. But

Quinlisk said one theory is that the infection was brought over from England

— perhaps by a college student — because the strain seen in Iowa has been

identified by the CDC as the same one that has caused tens of thousands of

cases of the mumps in a major outbreak in Britain over the past two years.

" It may have been a college student, since we did se! e the first activities

on college campuses, but we can't prove that, & q uot; Quinlisk said. The

Public Health Department said 23 percent of the 245 reported patients are in

college.

The CDC said it is the nation's biggest epidemic of mumps since 269 cases

were reported in County, Kan., from October 1988 to April 1989.

Mumps is a viral infection of the salivary glands. Symptoms include fever,

headache, muscle aches and swelling of the glands close to the jaw. It can

cause serious complications, including meningitis, damage to the testicles

and deafness.

A mumps vaccine was introduced in 1967. Iowa law requires schoolchildren to

be vaccinated against measles and rubella, and the mumps vaccine is included

in the same shot. The state's last major outbreak was in 1987, when 476

people were infected.

Of the 245 patients this year, at least 66 percent had had the recommended

two-shot vaccination, while 14 percent had received one dose, the Public

Health Department said.

" The vaccine is! working, " Quinlisk said. " The vaccine certainly was made to

cover this particular strain, because it's a fairly common strain of mumps. "

Quinlisk said the vaccine overall is considered about 95 percent effective.

Quinlisk said the mumps outbreak started in eastern Iowa and is spreading

statewide and possibly into the neighboring states of Illinois, Minnesota

and Nebraska. Those states may have one or two cases, she said.

When 11-year-old Will Hean of Davenport starting feeling sick in

mid-January, his family thought he had a bad case of the flu. But his face

and throat swelled and his temperature climbed to 103. His parents took him

to the doctor, and he was diagnosed to their surprise with full-blown mumps.

About two weeks later, the Heans' daughter, Kate, 21, came down with the

mumps, too.

Both children had gotten the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR. So

had their other son, 13-year-old Jimmy, who did n! ot get the mumps.

" He had all the shots and everything . You don't think you're going to get

the mumps after you've been inoculated, " said Will's father, Wayne Hean.

--

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Checked by AVG Free Edition.

Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.4/299 - Release Date: 3/31/2006