An 8-year-old Montgomery County boy has come down with mumps despite being vaccinated for Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR).
The child was diagnosed with the highly contagious mumps virus after being treated for swelling of the salivary gland at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, county health officials said.
The health department worked with the unidentified child's family and school to warn other parents about the disease.
The county didn’t reveal how the child contracted mumps. Getting the MMR vaccine doesn't prevent mumps entirely but makes a person nine times less likely to get the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccinated person also typically has less severe symptoms, which can include fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite.
This case comes as mumps cases around the United States are on the rise – 6,366 cases in 2016 compared to just 228 cases in 2012. In Montco, there were zero cases of mumps in 2013 compared to 12 cases from 2014 to 2017.
This case of mumps isn't the only recent one in the Philadelphia region. A February mumps outbreak at a dance in Wilmington left at least three people sickened.
Anyone suspecting having mumps should contact Montco health officials at 610-278-5117.
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The CDC explains how mumps can be spread and when symptoms could begin:
“It spreads through saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose, or throat. An infected person can spread the virus by:
- coughing, sneezing, or talking,
- sharing items, such as cups or eating utensils, with others
- touching objects or surfaces with unwashed hands that are then touched by others.
Mumps likely spreads before the salivary glands begin to swell and up to five days after the swelling begins.”
