Forget Bird Flu we have Mumps!

[preciousdove]

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=Mumps&btnG=Search+News

Mumps Epidemic Spreads
New York Times, United States - 2 hours ago
ATLANTA, April 12 — Two airline passengers may have helped spread Iowa's mumps epidemic to six other Midwestern states, health officials said Wednesday, the ...
CDC Eyes Air Travel in Mumps Epidemic Houston Chronicle
Mumps epidemic in US Midwest Hamilton Spectator
Health Officials Scramble To Contain Mumps Outbreak In US Midwest Free Internet Press
WBAY - 49abcnews.com - all 262 related »

Iowa has 515 cases of Mumps from these two passengers.

A Story on KARE11 had an interview with a woman from the CDC who said that they were having trouble tracking down people with the information the airline was able to give them on the other passengers on the flight. I asked my Aunt if everyone was giving out false information to ride airlines now. :shrug:

[TomInTib]

1. "mumps" just does not have the cachet of H5N1. .

I, personally, need something more scary.

[linazelle]

3. LOL

:rofl:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. how deadly is mumps?

Influenza kills thousands every year... people need to get a grip.

[preciousdove]

5. Can affect adult males leaving them sterile; usually not serious.n/t

[TomInTib]

6. You forgot malaria!, and dysentery, and starvation, and cholera

and, for that matter, falling down stairs - all of which will kill more peolple than mumps and H5N1 combined.

Still, this mumps thing is significant.

I was caught up (and caught "the mumps") in the endemic of the 50's.

[REP]

7. Mumps facts

Approximately one-fifth of infected people do not have symptoms of mumps.

Serious complications of mumps are more common among adults than among children.

Women may be at risk for spontaneous abortions if they get mumps during the first trimester of pregnancy.

About 2 out of every 4 adolescent or adult men who have mumps may experience painful swelling of the testicles. Sterility rarely occurs.

Rare complications caused by mumps include an infection of the brain (encephalitis) and inflammation of the covering of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). Other rare complications include arthritis, kidney and pancreas problems, deafness, and inflammation of the thyroid gland and ovaries.

Source: NIH

[msgadget]

4. I'm not paranoid

or a hypochondriac but I've got swollen glands and a fever. :eyes: Doesn't mean I have mumps but here are the symptoms for those as unfamiliar with them as I:

There are a number of symptoms that come with the disease. The symptoms of mumps often include swollen parotid glands (the salivary glands between the ear and the jaw), face pain, fever, headache, sore throat, and swelling of the temples or jaw.

People who may be infected should seek medical attention. Anyone who is diagnosed with mumps or has close, prolonged contact with an infected individual should seek medical attention.

http://www.macombjournal.com/articles/2006/04/12/news/news2.txt

Edit to add a big thanks! :hi:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

8. and exhaustion....

the few people I have known who had mumps took forever to get back their strength.

[TomInTib]

10. So that's it! I had mumps in the '50s and have felt lethargic since..

Thank heavens and all that matters!

Just kidding, of course. I wonder if today's strain is any different than it was the last time around?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

11. viruses are constantly changing, of course...

but the new strains probably aren't that much different from the one you had.

:)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mumps+new+strain

[TomInTib]

13. Well, I am still lethargic...

and coffee doesn't seem to help.

But I worry that at my age...

my glands are still swollen.

I am just kidding.

I went to the Lounge today and my mind is still twisted.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

14. I think the Lounge has been infiltrated...

I posted there tonight, and no one responded! :o
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5021196&mesg_id=5021196

The lounge is scary. :rofl:

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

9. Mumps permanently destroyed my hearing

in one ear due to high fever. I was six months old when I contracted it.

Mumps rarely kills but, like measles and chicken pox, can kill adults who didn't catch these common diseases in childhood.

[RebelOne]

12. My son lost the hearing in one ear because of mumps.

He was three years old when he had the disease and it destroyed the nerve endings in one ear.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

15. How old was he before you found out?

My parents didn't know till they tested me in school. After I was diagnosed they started seating me where I could hear better, and my grades improved.

Why didn't you tell us, my parents asked. Because I didn't know I was different...I figured everyone had one ear to hear with, and the other was to make your head look balanced. :)

Sorry about your son. It's not so bad, though. More of a nuisance than anything, though I cannot stand loud venues because all the sounds blend together and become pure noise. OTOH, I can sleep anywhere just by rolling over on my good ear. :hi:

[RebelOne]

17. I didn't find out until my son was tested in the first grade.

I took him to a specialist and was told that the damage was irreversible. The doctor said that maybe someday they would be able to replace nerve endings.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

20. That's pretty much what they told my folks too

Medicine has made advances with solutions like cochlear implants, but they still can't fix dead nerve endings. May the future bring good luck to your son!

I protect my hearing by staying away from speakers in movie theaters and concerts, and limiting use of headphones and ear buds. I always carry foam earplugs when I travel away from home - even normal sounds like traffic noise, construction, ambulances etc can leave my good ear ringing after I'm exposed to it long enough. I even wear earplugs in theaters because they crank the sound so loud that it can be painful.

[dflprincess]

19. My cousin lost hearing in one ear from measles

and I think the sickest I've ever been in my life was with measles - and I was still in elementary school.

I think I was in Kindergarten when I had the mumps, all I can remember of them is how much it hurt to turn my head so I could see "Captain Kangaroo" while I was laying on the living room couch.

[nonconformist]

16. Holy cow, even people who've had the vaccine are contracting it

Not good news.

[preciousdove]

18. Correction it was channel 5 news and kicking