Mumps outbreak hits New York's Haredi community
N.Y. Health Dept. urges young Jews to get vaccinated, unless they were fully vaccinated in the past.
By Reuters Tags: Israel newsAn outbreak of mumps that started in a summer camp last June has sickened more than 1,500 people in New York and New Jersey, state and federal health officials said on Thursday.
School-age children in orthodox Jewish communities in New York have been hard hit. Officials said the group had high vaccination rates, included some that had not been vaccinated or had only received one dose of the mumps vaccine.
The New York City Department of Health this week urged young Jewish adults to get vaccinated unless they knew they had been fully vaccinated in the past.
The outbreak is the biggest in the United States since 2006, when more than 6,000 people became infected, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its weekly report on death and disease.
"Mumps can lead to serious complications in people who are not vaccinated, especially adults," said Dr. Jane Zucker, assistant commissioner for immunization.
Widespread vaccination with the measles, mumps and rubella or MMR vaccine vastly cut the number of U.S. mumps cases to fewer than 500 in the early 2000s.
But concerns that the vaccine could cause autism, based on a discredited study that was retracted this month, prompted some parents not to protect their children.
Mumps made a resurgence in parts of Europe last year with outbreaks in Britain, the Balkans and Moldova. Complications can include viral meningitis, hearing loss and reproductive problems for men.
The current outbreak appears to have started with an 11-year-old boy who returned from a trip to Britain in June and then attended a summer camp where he infected others. The illness then spread as campers returned home.
As of January 29, 1,521 cases had been reported, almost two thirds among people aged 7 to 18. Nineteen people needed hospitalization, but none had died. Three quarters of those infected were male.
About 88 percent of those who reported their vaccination status had received at least one dose of vaccine, and three quarters of those infected had been given two doses.
The mumps virus can mutate, so people who have had only one or even two doses of vaccine remain vulnerable.
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you are a bone head for thinking that MMR innoculation causes autism. if you had an autistic kid, then maybe you would know more. your view is to stick your head in the sand, and blame something from the outside world for pain and suffering. in the meantime, you, like othere supersticous savages dont take care of your kids. you put your ego first
I'm sorry if this might be a little too complicated for you to understand, but then again you made some claims without learning anything first. The link to autism is unfounded and has been proven to be incorrect. Not vaccinating your children due to this untruth is tantamount in my eyes to child abuse. And you have a problem with requiring multiple innoculations? When you are sick and prescribed antibiotics, do you take one pill and then complain that it didn't work? The vaccines require multiple innoculations to work, as this is how the body responds. Get off your high horse and stop putting others at risk.
the best way to confer lifetime immunity is to expose the kids when they are young, like our parents did for us 50-odd years ago. Vaccines serve only one purpose: to make the pharmaceutical companies even wealthier.
Interesting...the author says that the "virus can mutate" and "people who have had only one or even two doses of vaccine remain vulnerable." Does this make sense? What does this tell you about the vaccine's effectiveness? Also, what's with the statement parents "chose not to protect their children" On the contrary, those parents who are (JUSTIFIABLY) worried about autism and other vaccine problems are trying their best to protect their children in the face of contradictory information and outright lies. "chose not to protect their children." HOW DARE YOU.
the malkut represents the lowest level of creation the furthest removed from the divine source but also the level of greatest density where the scheme of the divine intent reaches its greatest elaboration it represents the physical world solidity and stability pure existance in human being it represents the material nature only literally the body without even the basic innate drives which keep it functional.
"Officials said the group had high vaccination rates, included some that had not been vaccinated or had only received one dose of the mumps vaccine." Why not "Officials said the group included EVERYONE"
Treated a case in an adult male in the days before the vaccination. With painful swollen testicles he was a very unhappy camper.
Disease and innoculations even mumps. Mumps can sterilize and also strangle a child. When Nazi Germany blitzed England a case of anthrax took over a whole burough. Killing hundreds. The same thing when thousands killed in India with small pox. We need even though your religion blocks you to innoculate your children to keep from mass plagues. The Israeli innoculations are just now coming up to par. We need to educate our families with flyers and with commercials about what happens without. Let us lead in technology of love toward our peoples of all cultures to extend life and give even the littlest the chance to dream. Rankoo-Karoon
Just the fact that mumps can lead to sterility in men should have induced the community to take the vaccine. Religious Jews as well as most other religions strive for large families.