Measles and Mumps on the Rise
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Many illnesses in the United States have been all but eradicated due to vaccinations, however, some of these illnesses are common in other parts of the world and people who travel internationally are bringing these illnesses back with them.* Measles and mumps have been in the news recently because of confirmed cases in several states. Here?s what you need to know?
Measles
Per the CDC, measles is a very contagious disease caused by a virus. Measles starts with a fever. Soon after, it causes a cough, runny nose, and red eyes. Then a rash of tiny, red spots breakout. It starts at the head and spreads to the rest of the body. Measles can be serious for young children. It can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and death. Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people around him or her will also become infected if they are not protected.
From January 2 to April 1, 2016, four people from three states in the United States have been reported as having measles and at least one case has been confirmed in Memphis, Tennessee, in the last week.
Mumps
Mumps is no longer very common in the United States, but outbreaks continue to occur. Like measles, mumps is caused by a contagious virus. It typically starts with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite, followed by swollen salivary glands. Outbreaks have most commonly occurred in places where people have had prolonged, close contact with a person who has mumps, such as attending the same class, playing on the same sports team or living in the same dormitory. In Ohio, dozens of students at the University of Dayton and Harvard have been positively diagnosed with the mumps in the last two weeks.
What can you do to protect yourself?
The best method of preventing measles and mumps is vaccination and, in fact, both are offered in a combination MMR vaccineincluding rubella as well. The MMR vaccine is proven to be very safe and effective. CDC recommends that children get two doses to the best possible effectiveness (averages 88 percent effectiveness):
- the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age, and
- the second dose before entering school at 4 through 6 years of age.
For adults who may not have been vaccinated as children, the MMR vaccine is still administered in a series of two vaccinations over a month?s timeframe (spacing out the vaccinations by a minimum of 28 days).
While the odds of getting mumps are greatly reduced once vaccinated, approximately 12 percent of vaccinated people still contract the virus. Like any virus, you can take other measures to help keep yourself well, including:
? Wash your hands frequently throughout the day, especially after being out in public, after using the bathroom, before eating, etc.
? Stay home if you have a fever or don?t feel well.
? Cover your mouth when you cough and cough into your sleeve, not your hands. Cover your sneeze in the same manner, then, follow either by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based sanitizer.
If you have questions about MMR vaccine or other vaccinations you or your child might need, visit The Little Clinic nearest you.
*In 2015, a mumps outbreak is Columbus, Ohio, was linked to unvaccinated Amish men who had traveled abroad and contracted mumps overseas and then returned home to America.
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