The new issue of Nature Medicine has a number of excellent articles on topics in infectious disease. I'm going to discuss a few of them in more detail next week (or possibly the week after; next week will be a short one for me), but in the meantime, I'll highlight two articles in particular that may interest readers: Here on the midwest mumps outbreak, and this story on phage therapy to treat "superbug" infections. (It just happens to be written by Thomas Häusler, who is the author of the book I reviewed in this post.
- Log in to post comments
Tara,
I have been debating about getting the MMR shots again at age 51. Reason for this is that Mumps is bumping back into Memphis and hitting those from about age 28 all the way up to 45 now. Its not epidemic or anything approaching it I dont think, but its kind of peppering around the city and state.
The kids are NOT getting it which leads me to believe there was a load of crappy or weak vaccine used in the time span of that age group. The people that are getting it though are predominantly women, with some guys. My wife friend got it (age 28) working at Autozone got it. Carrie believes it was carried into the building by a distribution systems manager that came down with it from Huntington TN. The Huntington facility distributes into SE Iowa and 1/2 of Illinois. Both hot spots.
Then from way over in Akron, the Fedex Custom Critical office there who has a large transient in and out truck driver population apparently gave it to a few there and they in turn took it home to kids, parents of other kids. Again, peppering cases. Again in the same age group. This was the 45 year old. I can now from the last two months account for at least 20 cases, some familial, some not, diverse distances involved.
I am told by my doctor that the bark could be worse than the bite. I DISTINCTLY remember getting mumps at age 6 and it knocked me on my ass. I can remember how hard it was to breathe and she said that it might not be a good idea because its not indicated in a 51 year old to get it. If they have had it that is. Well a lot of the people getting have had it already.
Okay so whats your read on this? Before you decide and I hold you not responsible let me give you a little insight on what I do. I am out at Fedex nearly every night doing what they wont let their people do. That do is nuclear, world killer biologicals and the really hairy chemicals. Some of the world killer biologicals going into and out of St. Jude. There is also a secret BSL-3 in Olive Branch that I move live variola for and live flu's and tissues.
For me this stuff is just another piece of freight that has to be moved. But ya gotta be careful with it. I have been vaccinated by the military for everything you can think of at least 3 times, maybe as much as 5. But MMR is not on that list. So with the cases popping up, I am wondering.
Whaddya think? To do or not to do, that is the question.
The Iowa Department of Public Health was recommending vaccines for people between age 25 and 46, because cases in this age group were still increasing after overall mumps cases had dropped. Overall, I'd listen to your doctor. I'm not an MD and can only comment on the epidemiology of it, and as it's not epidemic in Tennessee right now, you're unlikely to be infected. You may want to run your specific situation past your local public health authorities, though, who would be more familiar with the situation in your neck of the woods.