close

Vaccinations aren’t 100 percent, but help

By Tara Rack-Amber trackamber@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read
article image -

It began in mid-October when two St. Louis Blues hockey players, Joakim Lindstrom and Jori Lehtera, tested positive for the mumps. Currently, there are approximately 21 confirmed or probable cases of mumps that have been identified in people who are affiliated with five National Hockey League teams, one minor league team and one league official.

With key Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby, Beau Bennett, Steve Downey and Olli Maatta, recently diagnosed with mumps, many people may be wondering how this infection has spread throughout the NHL, despite the booster vaccinations players received before the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Even though a person is vaccinated against mumps, the vaccination does not offer 100 percent protection against the virus, said Dr. Jeffrey Frye, medical director of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Uniontown Hospital.

“It is like every immunization; there are very few immunizations that are 100 percent,” said Frye. “Like folks who are getting the chickenpox vaccine, they can still get chicken pox. They are so mild or muted, they may not know they are getting the chicken pox.”

Close contact can help the virus spread even quicker.

“The teams are traveling on a bus and traveling on a plane together and they are spending a lot of time together,” Frye said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that mumps can be spread through droplets of saliva or mucus that are emitted from the mouth, nose or throat of an infected person, usually when they cough, sneeze or talk. It can also be spread if the infected person touches a surface or items without washing their hands, and then another person touches that same area and rubs their mouth or nose.

According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms can include, “Swollen, painful salivary glands on one or both sides of (the) face (parotitis), fever, headache, weakness and fatigue, loss of appetite and pain while chewing or swallowing.”

The vaccination for mumps is often given as part of a combined shot (MMR) which also includes the vaccine for measles and rubella that is typically given to children between the ages of 12-15 months.

There has recently been a movement of parents opting out of the MMR vaccine for their children because they believe there is a link between it and autism.

“Because the MMR vaccine is first given at age 12-15 months, and the first signs of autism often appear at 15-18 months of age, concerns have been raised about a possible link between the vaccine and the development of autism,” explains the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on their website. “Studies conducted in the US and Europe have found no association between the MMR vaccine and autism. Over the years, the Institute of Medicine and the AAP have organized several panels of independent scientists — all concluded that there is no association between MMR and autism.”

The CDC is reporting that from Jan. 1 to Nov. 29, 2014, 1,078 people have been reported to have mumps in the United States.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, there have been 10 identified cases so far this year.

While the CDC is putting people’s minds at ease by saying this league-wide mumps resurgence is nothing to worry about, Frye said there are simple steps people can take to prevent themselves from picking up other infections, even the common cold, when they visit their local fitness center or locker room at their gym.

“It is the normal stuff like washing your hands and don’t drink after someone else,” he said.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.

Subscribe Today