Are COVID Vaccines Injuring Pilots? You Tell Us

Mumps In Houston ICE Facility: Another Vaccine Preventable Disease To Worry About

What's not getting the MMR vaccine spell? Measles, mumps, and rubella potentially. (AP Photo/Eric... [+] Risberg, File)

The MMR in the name "MMR vaccine" isn't just a long way of saying mister vaccine. The first M stands for measles, as in the ongoing measles outbreak in the state of Washington that has led to a statewide emergency. The R is for rubella, as in a rubella case recently appeared in a major Detroit auto show. Then, there's the other M, which stands for mumps.

With the other two viruses making headlines, perhaps the mumps virus felt a bit left out of the party. Not for long, though. The mumps virus has now made another appearance, this time in Houston, Texas. According to the Houston Health Department, the mumps virus has infected at least seven people at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Houston. In a statement, David Persse, MD, who is the Physician Director of Emergency Medical Services and the Public Health Authority, Department of Health & Human Services for the City of Houston, said, "since these individuals were isolated inside the facility during the period they were infectious, we do not anticipate these cases posing a threat to the community."

Even if these mumps cases are properly isolated, these may not be isolated cases of mumps if people across the country continue to refuse to have their kids receive the MMR vaccine. The mumps virus, like the measles and rubella viruses, is quite contagious. It doesn't take much for the virus to start spreading. If you are infected by the virus, you can have the virus in your saliva and mucus and, in turn, spread the virus to others by doing anything with your mucus or saliva outside your body. That means coughing, sneezing, talking (especially if you rain spit when you talk), kissing, nuzzling, greeting people with your nose, shaking hands if you don't wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, or sharing things that your saliva or mucus may have touched.

For most cases of the mumps, think chipmunks or even "chipmumps." The mumps virus can make you look like a chipmunk. Not that you will begin eating nuts furiously and grow a busy tail. Rather, you can get puffy chipmunk-like cheeks and a swollen jaw. This results from the virus causing your salivary glands to swell. The medical term for such inflamed and tender salivary glands is parotitis, which is pronounced like the bird "parrot" plus "-itis." The picture below shows where these salivary glands, otherwise known as the parotid glands, are located:

The mumps virus can invade your parotid glands, pictured here. (Photo By Encyclopaedia... [+] Britannica/UIG Via Getty Images)

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Accompanying symptoms may include a fever, headaches, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and a general feeling of ugh. The symptoms can take a while to appear, anywhere between 12 to 25 days after the virus climbs aboard the "you" train. Most commonly, the symptoms will last no longer than a few weeks. Not everyone will have symptoms. Yes, even if you are sexy and you know it, you could even be infected with the virus without knowing it.

If you ask, what's so bad about looking like a chipmunk? After all, aren't there people who dress up like chipmunks? The greater concern about the mumps virus are the complications that may occur.

If you have balls, your testicles could get inflamed (3.3 to 10% of those with balls). This is otherwise known as orchitis or owwwwwwwch. With orchitis, everything you do with or close to your balls can be painful. That includes touching them, adjusting them, urinating, and ejaculating. Heck, even thinking about it can be painful. Your balls may become bigger, but that's nothing to be proud about. You may also have blood in your semen, abnormal discharge, or swelling of your prostate and the lymph nodes in your groin. While most cases of mumps orchitis eventually resolve without permanent damage, there is the small chance that your fertility can be affected.

In less than 1% of all cases, the mumps virus can affect other parts of your body as well, causing them to become inflamed and tender. Possibilities include your ovaries, pancreas, or nipples. These complications typically will not have long term effects.

The biggest concern are the very rare cases in which the mumps virus infects and inflames your brain (encephalitis) or the tissues surrounding your brain and spinal cord (meningitis). These are medical emergencies and can lead to deafness, brain damage or even death. Again, such serious complications of the mumps are very rare (less than 1% of all mumps cases) but are possible.

Here's the mumps virus in a transmission electron micrograph (TEM). (Photo by Smith... [+] Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

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If you want to avoid any of these possibilities. There is a simple solution. Get the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine or the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine. One dose of the mumps vaccine is on average 78% effective at preventing mumps infections. Two doses is on average 88% effective. Yes, this effectiveness can vary from person to person. Yes, you can still get the mumps if you are vaccinated. But the mumps vaccine can significantly reduce your risk of getting the mumps. Nothing else even comes close to doing so. No supplement. No special diet. No chiropractic manipulation. No potion. No homeopathic remedy. No wall.

The effectiveness of the mumps vaccine also depends on other people around you getting the vaccine. The more people around you who get the vaccine, the better you are protected. That's because the purpose of vaccination programs is not just to protect individuals who get vaccinated but to keep the virus from finding open parking spaces or motels to keep spreading in a population. People who don't get vaccinated are basically open parking spaces or motels, offering the virus a place to rest and reproduce. Yes, if you don't vaccinate your kid, you are making your kid a cheap sleazy motel for viruses. If the mumps virus keeps spreading in a population, you can thank those who don't get vaccinated for being so kind and hospitable to the virus.

So over the past month, the U.S. has been given an M, another M, and an R. What's that spell? More problems if more people don't get the MMR vaccine.

Everything You Need To Know About Mumps

Mumps has been back in the headlines recently, as more than 220 suspected cases were reported at two Nottingham universities.

The virus is known for being highly contagious, affecting the salivary glands and causing puffy cheeks and a swollen jaw, which can make it difficult to eat. Mumps most commonly affects children, but teens and adults who haven't been vaccinated can be at risk too.

In light of the recent outbreak, UK students are being urged to ensure they're protected, as those who haven't had two doses of the MMR vaccine are particularly vulnerable.

"Mumps is a contagious illness which causes the parotid glands - located on either side of the mouth and in front of both ears - to become swollen. While it's much less common for people to contract mumps now because of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination that was introduced in 1988, there are still occasional outbreaks in those who have not been immunised," says Bupa Health Clinics' expert, Dr Arun Thiyagarajan.

"The MMR vaccine triggers the immune system to produce antibodies against measles, mumps and rubella so that if someone comes into contact with one of the diseases, the immune system should recognise it and produce the antibodies needed to fight it."

So, what do you need to know about mumps? Here, Dr Thiyagarajan highlights the key points...

How do you actually catch mumps?

"Mumps can be spread in the same way we catch colds, as it's an airborne virus," explains Thiyagarajan. "An infected person coughing or sneezing and releasing tiny droplets of saliva, which are inhaled by someone else, spreads the illness."

If an infected person touches shared surfaces, such as desks or door handles, after wiping their mouth, this could also potentially spread contaminated saliva. "You're infectious from two days before the onset of mumps symptoms, to nine days afterwards. Even if you don't appear to be showing any symptoms, you can still be infectious, which is why mumps can spread so easily," Thiyagarajan adds.

Good hand hygiene - regularly washing your hands with soap and water - is always a good idea, and avoid sharing drinks, food and utensils, as these can all potentially spread the mumps virus from person to person too.

READ MORE: Mumps outbreak confirmed at Essex University

What are the symptoms of mumps?

"The initial symptoms of mumps are not too dissimilar to those of the flu, and start about two to three weeks after you've contracted the illness," says Thiyagarajan.

Headaches, a high temperature, loss of appetite, fatigue, muscle and joint aches are all indications you may be infected. A couple of days after initial symptoms surface, you may develop earache and it may hurt to chew and swallow. Then there's the telltale mumps swelling, and people can feel really quite unwell.

"In adults, the symptoms can occasionally be a little worse and may develop into swollen testicles or ovaries. Swollen ovaries can cause pain in a woman's [abdomen] and a swollen testicle may cause some discomfort too, but this varies case-by-case," Thiyagarajan adds.

He notes that it's always advisable to seek medical advice if you experience anything like unusual swelling of the testicles or abdominal pain, as it may be necessary to rule out any other possible causes too.

Can mumps be dangerous?

It might make you quite poorly, but the NHS says that mumps usually passes without causing serious damage to a person's health. However, in more rare cases, complications can develop, so it's important to be aware.

"Reports of serious complications of mumps are rare, but include viral meningitis and pancreatitis, of which the main symptom is pain in centre of your tummy," says Thiyagarajan, who urges that you should consult your doctor immediately if you experience symptoms of this.

For children who haven't been vaccinated and show symptoms of mumps, it's vital they visit a doctor to be checked. "Equally, pregnant women that suspect they may have the illness should seek medical advice as it can increase the chances of miscarriage, particularly in the first three months of pregnancy," notes Thiyagarajan.

There have also been associations of fertility problems in men who had mumps that badly affected their testicles, but this is generally rare too.

Who is most at risk of mumps?

Basically, anyone who hasn't been properly vaccinated. "The MMR vaccine was introduced in 1988, meaning that cases of mumps may occur in adults who haven't received the vaccine during their childhood immunisation schedule," says Thiyagarajan.

"Today, the MMR vaccine is given on the NHS as a single injection to babies as part of their routine vaccination schedule, usually within a month of their first birthday. They then have a second injection of the vaccine before starting school, usually around four months after their third birthday.

"As the recent news has shown, outbreaks can still happen if people haven't been vaccinated, so it's important that you and your children are covered," says Thiyagarajan. "To find out if you've had the MMR injection, it's advised that you check with your GP."

Once you've been infected by the mumps virus, you normally develop a life-long immunity to further infection - so if you haven't had the injection but have experienced mumps already, you are considered lower-risk.

How is mumps treated?

If you're unlucky enough to catch mumps, Thiyagarajan says it's very much a case of letting the virus run its course, while making the usual efforts to relieve symptoms and avoid spreading it to others. Mumps can make you feel really poorly, so bed rest is the best approach. Over-the-counter painkillers can help (a pharmacist or doctor can advise on the suitable options for children), and applying a warm or cool compress might help soothe swollen glands. It's a good idea to eat soft or liquidy foods, to avoid the discomfort of too much chewing, and getting plenty of fluids is vital. If you're suffering with some of the more extreme symptoms such as swollen testicles, Thiyagarajan recommends seeing your GP as soon as possible - and check in with the doc if symptoms suddenly worsen.

Anybody with mumps should stay away from school or work for at least nine days after their symptoms first start to appear, unless otherwise instructed by their doctor.

For more information on mumps and practical advice or guidance on any health issues, Bupa Health Clinics (bupa.Co.Uk) provide a range of health checks and GP appointments across the UK.

Fears Of Child Diseases Spreading As Vaccine Uptakes Plummet Due To Anti-vax Parents

Exclusive:

The figures come after a number of councils said unvaccinated children face being forced to self-isolate for 21 days owing to the rapid rise of measles

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has raised the alarm over fatal diseases spreading (

Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) in children is at a 12-year low as anti-vax rhetoric is spreading like wildfire among parents, an expert has said.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has raised the alarm over fatal diseases spreading as the annual figures for 2022/23 show just one in 10 children have had their first MMR jab by the age of two. By the age of five, just 84.5 per cent of children have had both doses - the lowest figure since 2010/11. Vaccination programmes across England failed to meet the uptake recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) - that says, nationally, at least 95% of children should be inoculated.

Professor Stephen Griffin, a leading virologist at Leeds University, said he is "not necessarily shocked but incredibly upset" about the latest figures. He believes the "newfound" rising anti-vax movement is to blame. He fears that the "widely debunked myths" around becoming immune by getting infected are gaining traction.

He said: "People don't understand how immunology works. That's why we have vaccines. These diseases are not a problem nowadays because of the vaccines. And there's a vicious circle of people who think they're not a problem, so why bother with the vaccine? But measles is devastating. It's a nasty disease. It causes horrible neurological complications. Kids died from it. So, the minute you stop using these vaccines to their full effect, you're gonna start seeing outbreaks again."

In July, MPs warned that the UK is at risk of losing its position as a global leader in vaccination without action to address challenges around uptake and bureaucratic processes in setting up clinical trials. There are also fears that the, now widely debunked, 1998 paper which allegedly found that MMR vaccines cause autism is being once again believed. The paper has since been discredited by health experts, retracted from the journal in which it was published, and its primary author, Andrew Wakefield, lost his medical licence.

"Wakefield's been rejuvenated and there's this real disquiet, a real groundswell of anti-establishment feeling that is framed, or certainly associated with the anti-vaccine movement. It's absolute nonsense, but these people actually believe it", Prof Griffin says. "It doesn't seem to matter how much actual factual evidence you present to these people, it's really hard to persuade them otherwise. But I think that that's what's driving this overall increase in hesitancy that's now affecting MMR. It's going to be really upsetting to see when these sorts of diseases come back."

The figures come after a number of councils said unvaccinated children face being forced to self-isolate for 21 days owing to the rapid rise of measles. Authorities in several parts of London and the Home Counties have issued warnings to parents after modelling suggested up to 160,000 cases of the disease could occur in the capital alone. The mumps virus can cause deafness in many people who contract the disease, while measles can lead to complications such as pneumonia and swelling of the brain.

Prof Griffin is keen to point out that there are, of course, some people who do get genuine adverse reactions to some vaccines. However, there is no pathway for so-called vaccine-injured people, meaning they often "find a home" among anti-vaxxers.

Steve Russell, NHS director of vaccinations and screening, said: "The NHS continues to encourage and support parents and carers to ensure their children are up to date with their vaccinations to protect them against becoming seriously unwell from infectious diseases.

"While most children are up to date with their vaccinations, there is more to do, and the NHS is running an MMR catch-up campaign to support more families in coming forward, with targeted outreach work for those identified as at high risk and communities with the lowest uptake.

"Diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella can make children seriously ill, but they are preventable, and millions of vaccination doses are given every year to offer the best protection – so please check your child is up to date with their vaccines and contact your GP surgery to catch up with any missed doses as soon as possible."

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