MUMPS case confirmed in a 10 year old child in San Anselmo

A public health official of the county of Marin reported on Tuesday that there is a confirmed case of mumps in a 10 year old child in San Anselmo. Details in his notice follow:

The child, who is unimmunized, attends 5^th grade at Brookside School, upper campus, in San Anselmo. The child attended school with symptoms on 1/9/12, and was seen by his pediatrician the following day. At that time the child had unilateral parotitis and a mild cold. The pediatrician took a buccal swab and directed the family not to allow the child to return to school for the rest of the week.

 The child’s family had traveled to Japan last month, returning on December 28. Japan does not routinely immunize children against mumps and has frequent outbreaks. As a result, the prevalence of permanent deafness among children there now stands at 1 in 1000.

 School administrators are sending out a notice of exposure to parents, asking that children who are not up to date with their MMR vaccine see their providers immediately. Fortunately, Brookside School has a relatively low rate of vaccine refusers. Of 137 students in the fifth grade, only four (including the index case) attend with a personal belief exemption for MMR – and one of the other three has already received one dose of the vaccine.

Vaccinating your children is the best way to prevent infectious disease.  This point cannot be stressed enough. 

Varicella Case Confirmed at Ross Elementary School

Jason Eberhart-Phillips, MD, MPH, Public Health Officer in Marin county reported yesterday that a 6th grade student at Ross Elementary School had a confirmed case of varicella (chickenpox). The student has had no vaccines. The varicella diagnosis was confirmed by the child's pediatrician. 

There were no high-risk household contacts, but there are two pregnant teachers (if not immune and a pregnant woman contracts varicella in pregnancy, the fetus can have birth defects) and one immunocompromised teacher (immunocompromised persons are at risk for serious complications) at the child's school. The onset date was 12/23/11.  The child's last day in school was 12/16/11. The rash completely crusted on 12/30/11. The school nurse will send a notice to parents and staff. 

Prevention of disease is key. This is yet another instance that shows how important immunization is not only to keep our children healthy, but to help keep our entire community healthy as well.

HOLIDAY SAFETY TIPS!

'Tis the season!  With Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and all the many festivities filled with lights, trees, decorations, lit fireplace, toys, tasty holiday treats, and travelling to visit friends and family... come a new set of safety issues for parents of little children!  Keep your holiday magical and safe by being prepared by reading these holiday safety tips by the AAP!

POLIO Outbreak in China

Cases of polio have been reported in China for the first time in a decade. Make sure your family is up to date on polio vaccinations prior to travelling to China.

MUMPS Outbreak at UC Berkeley

A UC Berkeley student contracted mumps on a trip to Europe and infected more than 44 others after returning to campus.  Students are recommended to receive a MMR booster even if they have had their two childhood vaccines.  Vaccine clinics are being held at Berkeley at their University Health Services with dates currently from tomorrow through December 1st . Mumps is a highly contagious viral illness that often is benign, but there can be serious complications and parents should be on the lookout for those.  Please read the 3 links above for further information on mumps and this outbreak.

This is yet another infectious disease outbreak that underscores the importance of vaccinating your children completely to protect them in infancy and help keep them healthy throughout their lives- through college and beyond.