U.S. health officials report a mumps outbreak in the West, with several individuals infected on flights, prompting a response from health authorities. As of now, the outbreak has spread to nine states, including Iowa, which has reported 815 cases.
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A child with mumps |
Mumps is caused by a virus that leads to symptoms such as coughing and sneezing. The disease typically presents with fever, headache, and swelling under the jaw. Mumps is highly contagious and spreads through saliva, sneezing, and close contact with infected individuals, similar to the common flu.
Complications from mumps can lead to deafness, meningitis, orchitis, and pancreatitis.
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the mumps outbreak has affected nine states in the U.S.: Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Among these, Iowa has the highest number of cases, with 815 reported, followed by Nebraska with 110 cases.
This is the largest outbreak in the U.S. since 269 cases were reported in Kansas during 1988-1989.
In response to this situation, the CDC has implemented a new system to prevent the transmission of this virus from passengers on airplanes.
Currently, there have been no reported deaths due to this disease. However, researchers at the CDC are monitoring the situation and exploring all preventive measures to control the outbreak, akin to the transmission of the H5N1 avian flu virus.
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