Children's Health

Mumps Outbreak Hits New York, New Jersey

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When mumps symptoms do appear, they usually come 16 to 18 days after infection. Because infection can precede symptoms by up to 25 days, outbreaks are difficult to control.

In the days before the introduction of the mumps vaccine in 1967, huge waves of mumps spread across the nation every few years.

"It is believed the vast majority of the population was infected," Gallagher says. "It's not as infectious as measles, but it spreads very easily via respiratory droplets."

There is no specific treatment for mumps, which is why vaccination is strongly recommended. Complications of mumps are more common in people who already have reached puberty.

Swollen testicles, a complication called orchitis, can lead to sterility, but much more rarely than once was believed. Permanent deafness is another feared but relatively rare complication of mumps.

A report on the mumps outbreak appears in the Feb. 12 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.