Health

Ask Dr. H.

April 7, 2009

Mumps vaccine still necessary Ask Dr. H. Mitchell Hecht

Q: Why do children still need to be immunized against mumps? I haven’t heard of anyone getting mumps since I was a kid.

A: While it’s true that mumps has largely been eradicated in the U.S., there have been outbreaks — most notably a series of outbreaks on college campuses in 2006.

Looking at those epidemics, the resurgence of mumps was not due to a vaccine-resistant strain of mumps virus. Also, the vast majority of those students had properly received a second mumps vaccine, typically given before the start of kindergarten.

Therefore, the most likely cause of the mumps epidemic was that the mumps vaccine’s effectiveness had gradually waned.

For those unfamiliar with mumps, it’s a viral infection that causes sudden onset of swelling of one or more salivary glands in the neck.

It generally runs its course within a week, and is treated with Tylenol or Advil/Aleve for fever and pain.

Approximately 5 percent of males see testicular involvement; meningitis, encephalitis and deafness occur in fewer than 1 percent of cases.

The lessons learned from the 2006 college mumps epidemic are that mumps is still around; mumps vaccination is still necessary; and that either a longer-lasting mumps vaccine should be developed or additional mumps booster doses might protect folks who work or live in close proximity with one another.

Dr. Mitchell Hecht is a physician specializing in internal medicine. Send questions to him at: “Ask Dr. H,” P.O. Box 767787, Atlanta, Ga. 30076. Due to the large volume of mail received, personal replies are not possible. — G.S., Santa Rosa, Calif.

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