OCR Text |
Show Immunization against mumps is urged All children should be immunized im-munized against mumps according to Dr. Taira Fuku-shima, Fuku-shima, Disease Control Branch, State Division of Health, Department of Social Services. More than half of all children child-ren under 13 have not yet been immunized against this serious, but easily preventable prevent-able disease. Symptoms of mumps include in-clude painfully swollen glands in the face and neck, fever, headache and earache. Inflammation Inflam-mation of the covering of the brain (meningitis), or of the brain itself, does occur frequently; fre-quently; however, recovery is usually complete. The most common target of mumps are children between the ages of five and ten, but the disease also strikes younger young-er children, teenagers and adults. i In teenage and adult males, mumps may cause painful swelling of the testicles. This occurs in one out of every four cases and sometimes, but rarely, results in sterility. Other complications of mumps include inflammation of the J pancreas, thyroid and kid- . neys. One shot of the mumps ! vaccine (which has been licensed since 1967), provides life-long protection. The vaccine vac-cine is recommended for all children at 15 months of age or as soon as possible, thereafter. there-after. Older children and adults who have not had the mumps or vaccine, should receive vaccine from their private physician. Fukushima said mumps vaccine occasionally causes side effects, such as fever and swelling of the salivary glands. Very rarely, more , severe reactions to mumps vaccine are reported. He said however, since the disease itself can be painful and ' disabling, the benefits of 3 immunization against mumps 1 far outweighs the risks of reaction to the vaccine. In Utah, immunizations are easily available from family doctors, pediatricians and local health department clinics. |