In young adults, involvement of the pancreas and/or ovaries or testes is a
complication.
Among military personnel, this complication greatly increases the amount
of time away from the work site.
c. Prevention. Fortunately, there is a vaccine for mumps for those who are not
already immune.
d. Transmission. The virus for mumps is spread:
By droplets
By direct contact with an infected person
With fomites freshly contaminated with infectious saliva
e. Incubation Period. The incubation period for mumps is from 12 to 26 days.
The infected person can transmit the disease 7 days before and for 9 days after onset
of symptoms.
f. Treatment/Immunity. There is no specific treatment. Isolation of the patient
for this latter period helps confine the disease, but other measures are essentially
useless. Generally, lasting immunity is conferred.
3-10. BACTERIAL INFECTIONS: MENINGOCOCCAL MENINGITIS
a. In Military Personnel. The military importance of this disease lies in its high
death rate (8-25 percent) and its panic-producing effect on populations. The causative
agent, Neisseria meningitides, is transmitted by respiratory discharges. The disease is
primarily one of recruits.
One striking feature in the epidemiology is the high carrier rate among
basic trainees--as high as 80 percent by the 7th week of training.
Initially, at the beginning of basic training, about 20% of trainees carry the
organisms in their throats
By the end of training, all recruits have been carriers at some time.
b. Signs/Symptoms. Meningococcal meningitis is a febrile disease having an
acute onset with chills, headache, and malaise.
The disease is often preceded by symptoms resembling an upper
respiratory infection.
MD0152
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