Mumps...

[sam's mum]

At hockey yesterday morning we all got given the message that one of the girls on my daughter's team has been diagnosed with mumps. They wanted to make sure that I got the message because of Sam. He hasn't had his shots for mumps yet and now I am worried. He was at the training session on Tuesday night and the other girl would have been infectious that night. I am pretty sure that mumps is the one that can make boys sterile but, to tell the truth, have been blocking the whole situation out which is why I am only posting now. After all, if I can ignore it for another couple of days and he doesn't get mumps, I won't have to think about it at all...

I guess the thing that really throws me is that I can't remember ever knowing anyone before who had mumps.

[sarah81]

Maybe ask your GP whether there is anyway you can be vaccinated after exposure or anything like that. They may know of something that could help. I think it is the one that causes sterility but think that isn't in every case of it.

Have you looked up how contagious it is? Because if he wasn't that close to the girl that has it it may be unlikely that he will get it.

I also haven't heard of anyone geting it for a while either. But :hugs: , I hope everything works out ok.

[Mister Noodle]

Yep, mumps in males can can spread to the testicles, causing sterility.

However, this is exceedingly rare in pre-pubertal males. The risk of mumps-related orchitis is about 50% in post-pubertal males, and only in 10% of those cases are both testicles affected. Of those cases where it does spread to both, sterility is not certain - and in rare cases, fertility eventually returns.

So all up, there's about a 3-4% chance of total sterility in post-pubertal males, and quite a lot smaller chance beore puberty.

It's about as contagious as a cold, or any other droplet infection.

I don't know for sure, but it's unlikely that post-infection vaccination would help.