More mumps cases reported in the Midwest

Officials say vaccination remains the best way to halt the disease's spread.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. May 8, 2006.

Washington -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects the nation's recent mumps outbreak -- the largest seen in the country in more than 20 years -- to continue to grow over the next several weeks.

By late April, about 1,000 cases had been reported in eight Midwest states, with most occurring in Iowa. Other cases are being investigated in seven additional states. "We won't be surprised if there are more cases in more states just given the nature of mumps and the way this outbreak is progressing," said CDC Director Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH.

She cautioned physicians to be on the alert for patients with symptoms of the viral infection. She noted that many people have never seen a case of the mumps since the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine became available in 1967. Fever, headache and other symptoms associated with a virus are common, and many people also get swollen and inflamed salivary glands.

Although mumps usually runs its course in a little over a week, about 10% of those infected can develop encephalitis or an inflammation of the testes, Dr. Gerberding said. To date, there have been about 20 hospitalizations but no deaths.

The best protection continues to be vaccination, she stressed. Although the efficacy of the mumps vaccine is being studied, there is no information that suggests a problem with the vaccine, she noted.