Mumps Outbreaks Among the Vaccinated
By Teresa Conrick
My daughter, Megan, has mumps titers that are 3x what the normal range is for immunity. She received one dose of MMR at 18 months in 1994, so that would be 15 years ago. I am interested in any facts about mumps and the science regarding it. Nancy Hokkanen, a very smart autism mom from Minnesota posted this on my group and I want to share it here on AoA as it gives us some more information about mumps. Thanks, Nancy for researching this.
MMWR/CDC REPORTS ON 2009 MUMPS OUTBREAK IN NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, AND QUEBEC, 2009 November 12"... Outbreak Reports (HERE)
Sullivan County, New York. ... Of the 24 patients for whom vaccination status was reported, 20 (83%) had received age-appropriate vaccination with 2 doses, one (4%) had received partial age-appropriate vaccination with 1 dose, and three (13%) were unvaccinated. ...
Brooklyn, New York. .. Of the 61 patients (77%) for whom vaccine is recommended and vaccination status and age were reported, 47 (77%) had received age-appropriate vaccination, six (10%) had received partial age-appropriate vaccination, and eight (13%) were unvaccinated. ...
Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Mumps vaccination status was reported for 29 (73%) patients, of whom 28 (97%) had received age-appropriate vaccination.
Rockland County, New York. ... Mumps vaccination status was reported for 19, of whom 11 had received age-appropriate vaccination, and two had received partial age-appropriate vaccination.
Orange County, New York. ... eight cases occurred among the travelers ... Seven patients had received age-appropriate vaccination with 2 doses, and one was unvaccinated.
Quebec, Canada. ... By October 30, 15 cases (patient age range: 8--47 years) ... All patients were male, and 11 had documented vaccination with at least 1 dose of mumps-containing vaccine.
Transmission Outside the Religious Community
During June 28--October 30, five cases outside the affected religious community were reported. ... Two of the five patients had received 2 documented doses of mumps containing vaccine, one had received 2 undocumented doses, and two had unknown vaccination status. ...
Health officials issued alerts in New Jersey, New York City, and elsewhere in New York state to health-care providers, urging them to increase active surveillance for mumps, to consider mumps diagnoses even if patients had documented vaccinations ..."
The vast majority of mumps cases were vaccinated.
This report did not mention the proverbial unvaccinated American bringing mumps into any of these communities. Both New Jersey and New York only have medical/religious vaccine exemptions.
CDC studies on the 2006 large mumps outbreak found two doses of mumps vaccine were about 85 percent effective.
DX "Prior to 1967, about 92 percent of all children had been exposed to mumps by the age of fifteen." (Faqs.org Mumps)
Even with two doses, will the percent of immune, vaccinated adults be less than the percent of pre-vaccine era natural immune adults? Would there also be a decrease in the number of babies without maternal mumps antibodies (protection) from their vaccinated mothers?
Mumps infection is relatively harmless and rarely results in death while producing lifelong natural immunity. But as with any childhood infection complications could increase with age.
Minnesota 2006, 180 reported cases of mumps by age and per population -
18-24 years of age - 7.9 per 100,000 - vaccinate group (HERE)
children <18 years of age - 5.2 per 100,000 - vaccinated group
adults age >50 years of age - 2.1 per 100,000 - born before vaccine was recommended
158 with known mumps vaccine history - 82% vaccinated
29 with history of no vaccination (including a 2 month old, too young to be vaccinated/no maternal antibodies?)
· 16 with history of vaccination, but number of doses unknown
· 22 with history of one dose
· 87 with history of two doses
· 4 with history of three doses
Minnesota 1987, 769 cases of mumps were reported in school age children. A total of 632 children (82.2%) had school records indicating receipt of mumps vaccine on or after their first birthday (MDH)
Thanks for posting. My son with autism had the mumps at age 4. He was vaccinated as well.
Posted by: Claire | April 27, 2010 at 11:10 PM
a bit more about mumps from insidevaccines:
http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/2010/02/22/vaccine-myths-3-1-the-scourge-of-childhood/
once this vaccine was added to the schedule a mild childhood illness was redefined as "one of the scourges of childhood" (by the CDC) and parents who neglected to get the vaccine were told that they had forgotten how terrible mumps was.
Posted by: MinorityView | February 23, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Andrew,
I think you missed the point of the article. The vaccine appears to not be working. When the vaccine was first invented, one dose was enough. Now 3, sometimes 4 doses, and still the outbreaks include vaccinated people to a high degree? Also, meningitis is everywhere. You don't need a case of mumps to get meningitis.
To argue that people should vaccinate because diseases are bad is also missing the point. If the "cure" is worse than the disease (and that is the point) then why not question the vaccine?
Posted by: Cynthia Cournoyer | February 09, 2010 at 12:28 PM
Andrew,
This is from the CDC Pink Book chapter on Mumps:
Central nervous system (CNS) involvement in the form of aseptic meningitis (inflammatory cells in cerebrospinal fluid) is common, occurring asymptomatically in 50% to 60% of patients. Symptomatic meningitis (headache, stiff neck) occurs in up to 15% of patients and resolves without sequelae in 3 to 10 days. Adults are at higher risk for this complication than are children, and boys are more commonly affected than girls (3:1 ratio). Parotitis may be absent in as many as 50% of such patients. Encephalitis is rare (less than 2 per 100,000 mumps cases). Orchitis (testicular inflammation) is the most common complication in postpubertal males.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/mumps.pdf
Viral meningitis following mumps "resolves without sequelae". Get that?
Also note that complications are much more common after puberty. So vaccinations which prevent mumps in childhood but fail to prevent mumps in adulthood INCREASE the rate of complications. Get that?
Posted by: MinorityView | February 09, 2010 at 10:54 AM
Andrew 10% of the number of those who come down with the mumps is something in the neighborhood of less than 100, that is if that 10% is correct.
Approximately 40% of children who develop measles encephalitis are left with long-term brain damage. (Information taken from The Australian Immunisation Handbook 8th Edition 2003 NHMRC – http://immunise.health.gov.au/handbook.htm) My son developed encephalitis immediately after his MMRV. His measles titers were 15 times the high norm. Without doing some invasive tests to confirm it, seems as if my son's brain injury was caused by his vaccine. Either that or his vaccine did not protect him against a wild strain of the measles.
Posted by: bensmyson | February 09, 2010 at 09:33 AM
If you think that if everyone gets mumps is a good thing so they can be immunized.
10% of people that get infected with mumps (including children)develop viral meningitis. (that equals 30 million in the US alone).
That is the main reason as to avoid this if you can. Because its not mumps that is the main worry is the secondary effects.
And like any virus, meningitis can mutate making it stronger and more resistant to modern medicine.
Posted by: Andrew | February 09, 2010 at 01:28 AM
Wow, I never thought about the exposure risks of un-vaccinated children when they come in contact with children who have just received the live measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella viruses! According to Wikipedia, measles is contagious for up to 16 days, mumps is contagious for 16-18 days, rubella has an incubation period of 2-3 weeks, varicella (chicken pox)is contagious for 5-10 days. The outbreaks are probably from vaccinated children who have shed their virus onto others whether vaccinated or not. Keep the viruses alive.. scare the public...sell more vaccines! Sell more vaccines...create more illness...make more pharma-slaves! Eureka! I have figured out the evil pharma moguls plot. Follow the money....
Posted by: bev/jean/ann | January 12, 2010 at 07:37 PM
Gin and Suzanne-
Can you include me in your emails regarding this research?
Thanks
[email protected]
Posted by: Teresa Conrick | January 12, 2010 at 06:20 PM
Audrey and Suzanne- Thanks!!! Very helpful and a great springboard for more research to feel better about our decision.
Posted by: gin | January 12, 2010 at 05:06 PM
Fantastic sleuthing. Thank you Teresa and Nancy.
Posted by: Gatogorra | January 12, 2010 at 12:23 PM
Gin, email me at [email protected]. I have some information on this that might be helpful to you. I need more space than I have here.
Posted by: Suzanne | January 12, 2010 at 09:27 AM
Gin,
Having antibodies against MBP can be indicative of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM):
"The frequency of MBP-reactive T cell lines was ten-fold higher in patients with ADEM compared to patients with encephalitis and normal subjects."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9846815
ADEM is an acknowledged vaccine reaction and as far as treatment goes, you may want to ask your child's doctor about trying IVIG and/or methylprednisolone based on this info about treating ADEM:
"The widely accepted first-line treatment is high doses of intravenous corticosteroids,[26] such as methylprednisolone or dexamethasone, followed by 3–6 weeks of gradually lower oral doses of prednisolone. Patients treated with methylprednisolone have shown better outcomes than those treated with dexamethasone.[18] Oral tapers of less than three weeks duration show a higher chance of relapsing,[8][13] and tend to show poorer outcomes[citation needed]. Other antiinflamatory and immunosuppressive therapies have been reported to show beneficial effect, such as plasmapheresis, high doses of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg),[26][27] mitoxantrone and cyclophosphamide. These are considered alternative therapies, used when corticosteroids cannot be used, or fail to show an effect.
There is some evidence to suggest that patients may respond to a combination of methylprednisolone and immunoglobulins if they fail to respond to either separately[28] In a study of 16 children with ADEM, 10 recovered completely after high-dose methylprednisolone, one severe case that failed to respond to steroids recovered completely after IVIg; the five most severe cases -with ADAM and severe peripheral neuropathy- were treated with combined high-dose methylprednisolone and immunoglobulin, two remained paraplegic, one had motor and cognitive handicaps, and two recovered.[26] A recent review of IVIg treatment of ADEM (of which the previous study formed the bulk of the cases) found that 70% of children showed complete recovery after treatment with IVIg, or IVIg plus corticosteroids.[29] A study of IVIg treatment in adults with ADEM showed that IVIg seems more effective in treating sensory and motor disturbances, while steroids seem more effective in treating impairments of cognition, consciousness and rigor.[27] This same study found one subject, a 71 year old man who had not responded to steroids, that responded to a IVIg treatment 58 days after disease onset."
Full recovery is seen in 50 to 75% of cases, ranging to 70 to 90% recovery with some minor residual disability (typically assessed using measures such as mRS or EDSS), average time to recover is one to six months.[10] The mortality rate may be as high as 5%.[10] Poorer outcomes are associated with unresponsiveness to steroid therapy, unusually severe neurological symptoms, or sudden onset. Children tend to have more favorable outcomes than adults, and cases presenting without fevers tend to have poorer outcomes.[30] The latter effect may be due to either protective effects of fever, or that diagnosis and treatment is sought more rapidly when fever is present.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_disseminated_encephalomyelitis
Posted by: Audrey | January 11, 2010 at 10:04 PM
For Suzanne,
Thanks for the great study link. We're in the same boat with the MBP antibodies and wondering if IVIG is the only/best recourse. If you have any other studies supporting best treatment for this, it would be most appreciated!
Posted by: Gin | January 11, 2010 at 05:30 PM
And from Israel -- one has to wonder what date he was vaccinated, and what date he died. Was he vaccinated two weeks and 6 days before? Or when . . . notice they carefully do not say.
- - - - - - --
Swine Flu Victim Was Vaccinated
January 11, 2010
The 66-year-old man who died of swine flu in Tel Aviv’s Beilinson Hospital on Sunday did have the vaccination, officials report.
Health Ministry officials report that the vaccine takes three weeks from the inoculation date before the recipient is protected and in the case of the niftar, it was less than three weeks since he received the vaccine. ['The niftar' means 'the deceased.']
Health Ministry officials fear a new outbreak of the illness, urging citizens to report to their HMO for the vaccination which is now available to the general population.
The updated death toll in Eretz Yisrael from swine flu is now 85.
story by Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel
Posted by: MoreNews | January 11, 2010 at 03:33 PM
Oh and did I mention my son also tested positive for high Myelin Basic protein anti-bodies?
Posted by: Suzanne | January 11, 2010 at 09:57 AM
My son has titers that are 3 times the reference range for each virus in the MMR. I asked his pediatrician what this means and he said it just means that he is immune. That's not what this study by the Utah State University Dept. of Biology & Biotechnolgy Center implies:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/f3476m117ur44447/?p=334b6fb3d54546359babaf22d562e499&pi=2
It says they found a correlation between high Myelyn Basic Protein Antibodies and high MMR titers in autistic kids.
Also, If it means nothing then why have a reference range at all, and why did the lab especially flag these as high?
Posted by: Suzanne | January 11, 2010 at 09:54 AM
The CDC cannot editorialize away the numbers. 63% of those who contracted Mumps had received "age appropriate" vaccination. 11% had no vaccine.
Vaccine theory works. Science is good. Could these numbers be a hint of a larger issue? Perhaps this: the medical/industrial/legal complex and their political cheerleaders/fundraisers are total frauds.
Posted by: Mark Richards | January 11, 2010 at 09:16 AM
Mumps - scary? I was jealous that, as the youngest of five kids, all my older siblings got the mumps, but all I got was immunity. No bragging rights with that.
Posted by: Judy Converse MPH RD LD | January 11, 2010 at 01:14 AM
If anyone is vaccinated they shouldn't be sick with the decease they were vaccinated against.
The statement"pockets of un-vaccinated children causes these outbreaks." does not make any sense and if it was from CDC they should re-write it.
I all the time get notices from my kids school notifying me to be aware of some out break in the class room and guess who those kids are "the vaccinated ones" mine are not vaccinated and never get sick ,however they take Manuka honey for everything.
Hodan
Posted by: hodan | January 11, 2010 at 01:10 AM
A couple of years ago I had the titers done on my kids as a part of an immune work up. my 2 youngest were unfortunately born after the chicken pox vax and when I "was a well behaved mom" and were immunized supposedly for chicken pox. Well guess what neither one of them have any protection against chicken pox like their older brother. I can't even remember when and what it was like when he had the chicken pox just that he has a nice robust level. Now my youngest who is on the spectrum was given the hepatitis b at birth and followed up nicely the next couple months. Yep not a single antibody against this dreaded disease that I actually acquired as a nurse and converted to antibody positive without even knowing I had it. Same with my 2 oldest who were given it. NOT ONE FRICKEN ANTIBODY for all the crap that was injected into my beautiful children. my daughter now she has enough tetanus and measles for everybody in the state of Alabam Its not nice to fool with mother nature.
Posted by: quiet in the south | January 11, 2010 at 01:00 AM
I believe there is also a link between the vaccine and an increased risk of juvenile (type 1) diabetes. http://www.vaccines.net/7TOPEDJ.pdf
Posted by: Amy | January 10, 2010 at 09:57 PM
JenB - along those lines, does anyone remember this story about a child who nearly died after his dad (military) got the military's small pox vax? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/18/health/18smallpox.html .
Posted by: Parent | January 10, 2010 at 07:02 PM
what a joke. So much for the CDC's characterization of "pockets of un-vaccinated children causes these outbreaks." I can just see Nancy spewing that garbage out now!
Posted by: jen | January 10, 2010 at 06:36 PM
"This report did not mention the proverbial unvaccinated American bringing mumps into any of these communities."
I know of a child who contracted mumps from a playmate who had been recently vaccinated with MMR.
I wonder if they ever look at recent vaccine exposure as a possible source for some of these outbreaks?
Posted by: JenB | January 10, 2010 at 05:42 PM
J Med Virol. 2009 Oct;81(10):1819-25.
Investigation of a mumps outbreak among university students with two measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccinations, Virginia, September-December 2006.
Rota JS, Turner JC, Yost-Daljev MK, Freeman M, Toney DM, Meisel E, Williams N, Sowers SB, Lowe L, Rota PA, Nicolai LA, Peake L, Bellini WJ.
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
Following the clinical diagnosis of the first case of mumps on September 22, 2006 at the University of Virginia (UVA), 52 suspected cases were identified through active surveillance for mumps by the end of December 2006. Samples were collected from 47 students who presented with parotitis despite a documented history of two doses of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Six of 47 serum samples (13%) were positive for mumps IgM, and 46/47 specimens were positive for mumps IgG. Endpoint titration of acute phase serum samples from laboratory-confirmed cases did not provide evidence that elevated serum IgG is a consistent marker for infection among cases due to secondary vaccine failure. Buccal swab samples from 39 of the 47 students were tested by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and/or viral culture. Mumps virus or mumps RNA was detected in 12 of 39 buccal samples (31%). Genetic analysis of the virus from the outbreak at UVA indicated that the outbreak was not linked to the large mumps outbreak in the Midwestern US that occurred earlier in 2006. Our findings support the use of viral detection to improve laboratory diagnosis of mumps among persons who have received two doses of MMR.
CMAJ. 2006 Aug 29;175(5):483-8.
Two successive outbreaks of mumps in Nova Scotia among vaccinated adolescents and young adults.
Watson-Creed G, Saunders A, Scott J, Lowe L, Pettipas J, Hatchette TF.
The Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection, Halifax, NS. [email protected]
BACKGROUND: Before the widespread use of vaccine, mumps was the most common cause of viral meningitis (up to 10% of mumps infections). Vaccination programs have resulted in a drop of more than 99% in the number of reported mumps cases in the United States and Canada. Although rare in Canada, outbreaks have recently occurred throughout the world, including a large outbreak in the United Kingdom, where more than 56,000 cases were reported in 2004-2005. METHODS: Two recent outbreaks in Nova Scotia were investigated by public health officials. Cases were defined by laboratory confirmation of infection (i.e., isolation of mumps virus by culture) or clinical diagnosis in people epidemiologically linked to a laboratory-confirmed case. The people infected were interviewed to determine possible links and to identify contacts. Mumps virus was cultured from urine and throat specimens, identified via reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and subjected to phylogenetic analysis to identify the origin of the strain. RESULTS: The first outbreak involved 13 high-school students (median age 14 yr): 9 who had previously received 2 doses of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) and 4 who received a single dose. The second outbreak comprised 19 cases of mumps among students and some staff at a local university (median age 23 yr), of whom 18 had received only 1 dose of MMR (the other received a second dose). The viruses identified in the outbreaks were phylogenetically similar and belonged to a genotype commonly reported in the UK. The virus from the second outbreak is identical to the strain currently circulating in the UK and United States. INTERPRETATION: The predominance in these outbreaks of infected people of university age not only highlights an environment with potential for increased transmission but also raises questions about the efficacy of the MMR vaccine. The people affected may represent a "lost cohort" who do not have immunity from natural mumps infection and were not offered a 2-dose schedule. Given the current level of mumps activity around the world, clinicians should remain vigilant for symptoms of mumps.
Vaccine. 2009 Oct 19;27(44):6186-95.
Mumps resurgences in the United States: A historical perspective on unexpected elements.
Barskey AE, Glasser JW, LeBaron CW.
Epidemiology Branch, Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE-MS A-47, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States.
In 2006 the United States experienced the largest nationwide mumps epidemic in 20 years, primarily affecting college dormitory residents. Unexpected elements of the outbreak included very abrupt time course (75% of cases occurred within 90 days), geographic focality (85% of cases occurred in eight rural Midwestern states), rapid upward and downward shift in peak age-specific attack rate (5-9-year olds to 18-24-year olds, then back), and two-dose vaccine failure (63% of case-patients had received two doses). To construct a historical context in which to understand the recent outbreak, we reviewed US mumps surveillance data, vaccination coverage estimates, and relevant peer-reviewed literature for the period 1917-2008. Many of the unexpected features of the 2006 mumps outbreak had been reported several times previously in the US, e.g., the 1986-1987 mumps resurgence had extremely abrupt onset, rural geographic focality, and an upward-then-downward age shift. Evidence suggested recurrent mumps outbreak patterns were attributable to accumulation of susceptibles in dispersed situations where the risk of endemic disease exposure was low and were triggered when this susceptible population was brought together in crowded living conditions. The 2006 epidemic followed this pattern, with two unique variations: it was preceded by a period of very high vaccination rates and very low disease incidence and was characterized by two-dose failure rates among adults vaccinated in childhood. Data from the past 80 years suggest that preventing future mumps epidemics will depend on innovative measures to detect and eliminate build-up of susceptibles among highly vaccinated populations.
Posted by: María Luján | January 10, 2010 at 01:20 PM
And look at this little Dutch gem from 1994:
A measles epidemic in an adequately vaccinated middle school population
...Seventy-seven students underwent laboratory investigations. Measles virus was isolated in 2 suspected patients. THIRTY-THREE of 37 patients with clinical or laboratory criteria of measles HAD BEEN VACCINATED. Complications of measles were not detected. Infection was also detected in patients with relatively few or atypical symptoms. van Eijndhoven MJ et al, Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 1994 Nov 26;138(48):2396-400.
Posted by: Natasa | January 10, 2010 at 11:42 AM
as for the two month old, did you read about the study that showed moms no longer pass antibodies on to their babies? Mom's who get the MMR shot when they are kids, no longer pass on those needed antibodies to their babies when they are most vulnerable.
Congrats vaccine program for messing up nature!
Posted by: Jenny W | January 10, 2010 at 10:52 AM
My unvaxed daughter had mumps 3 years ago in GA when she was 4. Her biggest complaint was, "Why can't I go to school today?". She's now 7 and has no lasting effects other than immunity. Her brother, my husband and I were not infected. My conclusion is that mumps are not as scary as the establishment would like for us to believe.
Posted by: Rhodadoda | January 10, 2010 at 10:40 AM
Prior to the introduction of the MMR in the UK in 1988 both the British National Formulary and and the British Medical Association opposed mumps vaccination - it made no sense because instead of eradicating the disease it was simply likely to postpone a usually harmless infant disease to an age when it was more hazardous (particularly for young males). Nothing changed apart from bureaucratic expedience - mumps vaccination was both unwise and unethical.
Nice little article here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/3311744/In-sickness-and-in-health-It-might-be-best-to-let-children-catch-mumps-after-all.html
Posted by: John Stone | January 10, 2010 at 10:16 AM
http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/2009/10/12/mumps-vaccine-perceptions-and-emerging-realities/
an analysis of the various explanations being offered for the breakdown of mumps vaccine immunity.
according to this study: http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/159/12/1136 (see table on page 5) if we stopped vaccinating there would be 11 deaths per year from mumps.
Posted by: MinorityView | January 10, 2010 at 09:15 AM
My son was vaccinated at 12 months with MMR and got the mumps at age 3. Vaccines are a total hoax.
Posted by: Maggie | January 10, 2010 at 08:38 AM
Surprising how many have been vaccinated prior to becoming infected with mumps. All these anti-vaxers spreading deadly diseases huh?
I love the Little Bear episode when both Little Bear and Emily come down with the mumps. Nobody is scared, no talk of dying, no hospital, just bed rest.
"My mumps still hurt." my son Ben at playing being sick
Posted by: bensmyson | January 10, 2010 at 07:24 AM