Iowa experiencing mumps epidemic

WSYX 6 News ^ | March 31, 2006

[flutters]

A puzzle for health officials and a worry for parents. Iowa is experiencing an epidemic of mumps.

State health officials say 245 confirmed, probable or suspected cases were reported as of yesterday. State epidemiologist Patricia Quinlisk says that's enough for officials to call it an epidemic and not just an outbreak.

Quinlisk says before this year, Iowa counted only about five cases annually. The illnesses that have spread across more than a third of the state add up to the country's only mumps outbreak, and Iowa's first such epidemic in more than 20 years.

Federal health watchers say they have no answers yet about the cause.

[markman46]

i had them when I was a kid, not a lot of fun

[sageb1]

"I thought the vaccine was required everywhere in the US before children could even enter school"

As far as I know, you're right.

[flutters]

I remember having chicken pox. I hated those. Mom made me keep socks on my hands to keep from scratching. Thank goodness we now have vaccinations for most of this stuff.

[lysie]

Yeah, but my dog could have been better than your dog. /kidding2

:-)

[Husker24]

What are the symptoms?

[calex59]

I had the mumps, whooping cough, measels, chicken pox etc. I grew up when not only didn't they require anything but small pox vacinations they simply didn't have vacines for these diseases. Be glad if you grew up when you could be vacinated! Polio vacine, salk, came along about the time I got into high school and that was a god send because many children contracted it every year in the summer.

[markman46]

lots of meat packing plants in Iowa!!!

[flutters]

Glad I could help. :)

[johnny7]

Scarlet Fever

[lysie]

What are the symptoms?

You have the urge to store food for the winter.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[firewalk]

The worst part was my my father came home from work and called me "chipmunk" and I started to cry.

aw...
making a sick little kid cry...

[andysandmikesmom]

I had the mumps on just one side of my face, when I was 16..it was horrible...I heard if you get a childhood disease, when you are past childhood, the disease is more severe...dont know if that is really true, or if that is a myth, but in my case, I was in excrutiating pain...it was quite awful...I was that age, long before they had the mumps vaccine..I am just an oldie I guess...

[sageb1]

Glands in the neck become horribly swollen - noticeably so...as in "huge." It is very painful.

[Flavius Josephus]

That's funny, I've never heard of either mups OR whoppin' cough.

[auggy]

I had the mump. Right side only. When I was a kid a loooong time ago.

[lysie]

Thank goodness. I never had that and never knew anyone to have that.

[MaryFromMichigan]

Many young parents today opt out of all vaccinations.
I'd bet that many childhood diseases will make a come back soon.

[lysie]

Okay..pertussis.

[me-here]

Hmmm, what group of ppl would not have had the shots mandatory in the USA?

I live in Iowa and at least in this area of the state there are more kids in christian schools(netherland reformed mostly)and it is bypassed because of their religion.

[firewalk]

Yeah, but my dog could have been better than your dog.

lol!
very good...