At Syracuse University, located in New York, there have been 45 confirmed cases of mumps and 81 probable cases (unconfirmed). The first case was reported in August, but it has been spreading at a slower pace than had been expected (1).
Furthermore, mumps outbreaks on college campuses in the U.S. have been occurring somewhat commonly with the following colleges also having cases in recent years: The University of Missouri, The University of Illinois, and The University of Iowa.
The mumps virus can be spread through the respiratory route or through direct contact. Sneezing, coughing, touching objects that are then touched by others (with unwashed hands) are all common behaviors that further the spread of the virus (2). Given the nature of its transmission, them, it comes as little surprise that the virus has spread quickly on campuses in which students live in close contact in their dorms.
More information on the mumps virus:
Common symptoms - fever, headache, muscle ache, tiredness, loss of appetite, and swollen salivary glands (3).
Morphology - mumps virus is a member of the Paramyxoviridae family (4). It has a -ssRNA genome and an enveloped capsid with helical symmetry.
-EM
Sources:
1. http://dailyorange.com/2017/11/syracuse-university-among-multiple-colleges-nationwide-experience-mumps-outbreak/
2. https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/about/transmission.html
3. https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/about/signs-symptoms.html
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3700306/
5. http://viralzone.expasy.org/556
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment