Cheerleaders May Be at Risk of Mumps

Thousands of cheerleaders who participated in a national competition last month recently received some disheartening news: They may have been exposed to mumps.Officials from the Texas Department of State Health Services sent letters to individuals who attended the competition — called the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) All-Star National Championship — warning them that a contagious person with mumps was at the event.
More than 23,000 cheerleaders and 2,600 coaches participated in the championship, which took place in Dallas, according to the NCA.
Authorities said that competition participants should be on the lookout for symptoms of mumps in the coming weeks.
Mumps is a contagious viral disease that causes swelling of the salivary glands, leading to swollen cheeks. It can also cause fever, headache, fatigue, and loss of appetite, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The virus spreads through saliva and respiratory droplets, meaning that people with mumps can infect others by coughing, sneezing, or talking. People can also become infected by sharing items such as cups or eating utensils, or by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus.
Once infected with the virus, symptoms typically take 16 to 18 days to appear, but it can take up to 25 days for them to manifest.
People generally receive two doses of the mumps vaccine (which is part of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine) during childhood, and the vaccine is effective in up to 88% of preventing the disease.
However, even vaccinated individuals can become infected with mumps, particularly if they are exposed to a relatively high amount of the virus, which can occur during outbreaks of mumps in close living quarters, such as dormitories.
Most people who contract mumps recover from the virus within a few weeks. But the disease can sometimes lead to complications, including inflammation of the testicles in males who have reached puberty; inflammation of the brain; inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord (meningitis); inflammation of the ovaries; and deafness.
NCA competition participants are being advised to contact their healthcare provider if they exhibit symptoms of mumps.