Mumps Cases Reach Epidemic Level in Iowa

[WhiteTara]

they keep making up things to be concerned about. But here is a reality.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/31/AR2006033101016.html

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," said Iowa state epidemiologist Dr. Patricia 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 its first large outbreak in nearly 20 years.

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. " baffling health officials" - umm, . . 43 million without health coverage

.
.
.

the USA is lucky it doesn't have more epidemics with so many uninsured

meanwhile spending more per capita than Canada does, where even the poorest of poor have health care

It's my guess that there are many other sick people that don't get treatment until advanced symptoms drive them to emergency services.

[sandnsea]

2. Bush cut the immunization program

Pretty sure Clinton's immunization program got cut altogether. They trip over a dollar to pick up a dime.

[WhiteTara]

3. of course. The bath tub solution

I wonder how they will like it when the entire country goes up in flames.

[Hekate]

4. If they skipped the mumps vaccination, they also missed measles & rubella

If the vaccine is the way my kids got it when it first came out, it's MMR -- measles, mumps, rubella.

Rubella is mild in children and adults, but devastating to fetuses if a pregnant woman catches it from her other children, causing congenital blindness and deafness.

Most children come out okay from getting measles and mumps, although it's painful and miserable to have (I had them all). But the ones who don't come out okay can be sterilized (boys and men can get testicular mumps), go blind (measles), get secondary infections (measles), and a host of other lifelong consequences (I knew a girl who'd had mumps encephalitis -- she was blind, used crutches to keep from falling over, had inner ear complications...).

My first thought was that too many parents fearful of the mercury preservative in vaccines had been holding off, and that now there's a critical mass of unprotected kids.

But other posters' observations about the 43 million uninsured Americans and the demise of Clinton's programs for kids' health are probably right. ...And now there's a critical mass of unprotected kids.

What a travesty. Wonder what else is waiting to make a comeback? :scared:

Hekate

[WhiteTara]

6. what a travesty is right

To see these diseases pop up is horrifying. And you're right, no mumps vacs, none of the others either. :hide:

[truthisfreedom]

5. ouch. i never got it as a kid. i can't remember ever being innoculated.

i'm just North of Iowa!