Mumps

Mumps outbreak spreads to Colorado



DENVER - The first case of mumps connected with a nationwide outbreak was confirmed in Colorado.

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Tuesday the State Department of Health confirmed the first outbreak of mumps in Colorado. April 25, 2006. 5:00 p.m.

On Monday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said a 45-year-old woman from Douglas County became ill with the mumps on April 14, after making two car trips to Iowa.

The recent outbreak of mumps started in Iowa and then spread to surrounding states including Nebraska and Kansas. There are now more than 1,100 cases in Iowa alone.

The Colorado woman who became sick was visiting a sick family member in Iowa who did not have the mumps.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says the woman stayed home from work for the recommended nine days after she became ill. The health department says she was not hospitalized; has not had any complications; and her doctor says it is okay for her to return to work.

The case is the first to test positive out of 25 suspected cases in Colorado. A statewide watch of the disease has stepped up since the outbreak in Iowa.

Colorado normally has three-to-four cases of mumps every year. There were six cases in 2005 and three so far this year, including the newly confirmed case.

Mumps

Mumps or epidemic parotitis is a viral disease of humans. Prior to the development of vaccination and the introduction of MMR vaccine, it was a common childhood disease worldwide, and is still a significant threat to health in the third world.

Painful swelling of the salivary glands (classically the parotid gland) and fever is the most typical presentation. Painful testicular swelling and rash may also occur.

While symptoms are generally not severe in children, in teenagers and adults, the symptoms can be more severe and complications such as infertility or subfertility are relatively common, although still rare in absolute terms.

The disease is generally self-limiting, and there is no specific treatment apart from controlling the symptoms with painkillers.