Mumps

Once a common childhood illness, mumps, also known as epidemic parotitis, has become less frequent since the development of an effective vaccine has greatly diminished the occurrence of the disease in the United States. Even with the mumps vaccination program, however, outbreaks of mumps continue to occur throughout the United States. Many nations do not have an effective mumps vaccination program, and infants, children, and young adults in these locations are at risk for developing not only viral meningitis from the mumps virus, but other complications following infection, including inflammation of the testes and ovaries, pancreatitis, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), and deafness. Mumps covers the history of the disease, its current treatment, its prevention, and the forecasts for controlling mumps worldwide.Chapters and topics include:Mumps: An OverviewHistoryThe Mumps VirusEpidemiologySymptoms, Diagnosis, and ComplicationsTreatment and PreventionThe Future of Mumps.