"PRINCIPAL POINT ON PREVENTION"
NOTE TO WHOEVER KEEPS EDITING THIS INFORMATION OUT AND RELEGATING IT:- It is fundamental and the most important information that as mumps is a mild illness in children in developed economies preventive measures are not necessary for them. It is further fundamental factual information that the British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain actively recommended against mumps vaccination based on clinical factors. They then changed that recommendation only when it went against government policy with the introduction of MMR in 1988 into Great Britain.
For the vast majority of children mumps vaccination is a clinically unnecessary invasive medical procedure.
Further, the mass vaccination programmes are driven by the World Health Organisation, which, although meant to be nominally part of the United Nations organisation is heavily influenced directly by the pharmaceutical industry. WHO's policies on disease eradication are not debated in any western democracy nor voted on. Further, the concept of disease eradication is a misnomer as scientific study of the extensive disease statistics demonstrate from countries like the UK, USA and Australia stretching back of the order of 200 years. In particular, the trends in mortality from numerous diseases was steadily dramatically and inexorably down without vaccination over the relevant periods. It was coincidental with improved quality of drinking water, nutrition and living conditions. Mortality fell from very high percentages of population over these periods to very low levels.
It is unscientific and factually incorrect to ascribe improved disease mortality to vaccination when disease mortality was falling dramatically of its own without vaccination and the figures demonstrate in numerous cases over 200 years that mortality continued to fall at the same rates after the introduction of vaccinations in many cases.
Further, this clear and incontrovertible evidence shows that the ravages of disease in less developed economies would similarly improve just as dramatically with improved quality of drinking water, nutrition and living conditions. Vaccination does nothing in that regard and can be shown to have serious consequences for the malnourished, sick and immunocompromised, which is frequently what children in very poor circumstances can be.
We in western developed nations use vaccination as a conscience improver to demonstrate how humanitarian we are in supposedly 'eradicating' disease when we are instead keeping the people concerned in poverty through our political and economic policies and those diseases were being eradicated by other means.
Accordingly, the following text has been restored:- "As mumps is a mild illness in children in developed economies preventive measures are not necessary for them. Some paediatricians recommend vaccination against mumps where such children have not contracted the disease naturally by the age of 9.
The British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain actively recommended against general mumps vaccination (see further below). They then changed that recommendation in 1987 when it became United Kingdom government policy in 1988 to introduce mass child mumps vaccination programmes with the MMR vaccine."
Further editing to restore the sense of the BMA recommendations have also been made. If anyone wishes to amend those changes, I expect to see that noted and justified so that others can follow the logic or otherwise of those making the changes.
Anon The Editor. 08:30 17 August 2005 GMT
"MMR immunization (vaccine) protects against measles, mumps and rubella and should be given to children 15 months old."
- This paragraph should probably include a note about the MMR controversy so as not to appear medically POV. Lee M 01:21, 8 May 2004 (UTC)
- What, the "controversy" where people fantasize without evidence that it's linked to autism? That's not a medical point of view.- Nunh-huh 08:25, 13 Mar 2005 (UTC)
- I think most of the fuss about it was here in the UK, but MMR is a wikilink to the MMR article, which has comprehensive information, so I think that should be sufficent for anyone interested in the topic. akaDruid 10:37, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Just for completeness, can someone confirm it can affect the thyroid too? When I had mumps, it affected both parotids (first one side then the other), and, then, it supposedly affected the thyroid (or so concluded the doctor, as I got a swollen neck much like goitre). It didn't leave any long-term effects on thyroid regulation, though. Qvantamon 08:14, 13 Mar 2005 (UTC)
- Yes, it can cause swelling in the thyroid, the pancreas, and other glandular tissue. - Nunh-huh 08:25, 13 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Bursting Ovaries
This recent addition deleted:-
- "Women are at risk of ovarian swelling and possibly bursting. Women with the mumps should have abdominal pain closely monitored because the ovaries are at risk of bursting."
Proper medical references are required generally for this page but this particular recent addition especially needs a proper reference. It refers to something that does not seem to be in the normal literature about risks of mumps - this is an alleged complication that appears to have no basis in reality, according to what seems to be accepted medical knowledge. It is highly unlikely that an ovary would 'burst'. Eggs from ovaries will commonly be described as 'bursting' from an ovary in the normal course of ovulation. --Anon The Editor 21:28, 2 September 2005 (UTC)
Prevention
I noticed that there is no mention made of avoiding contact with an infected person's saliva (from coughing and sneezing). I think that might be worth noting.
CAUSES AND RISKS
As currently stated this is not accurate and POV. It fails to deal with the risks being minimal to non-existent and makes the symptoms sound worse than they are. There is no balance here. 81.111.172.198 14:51, 13 November 2005 (UTC)
- I don't see the article doing that, or being out of line with other sources. From the article: Mumps is generally a mild illness in children... and, Orchitis (swelling of the testes) occurs in 10-20% of infected males, but sterility only rarely ensues (And that's "rare" among an already small percentage of what itself isn't serious.) a viral meningitis occurs in about 5% of those infected Any of the things it says can happen, it does not list as common. Other sources on the subject make similar statements:
- Medicinenet: [1]: Mumps can cause inflammation of tissues other than the salivary glands. Most frequently, the covering and substance of the central nervous system are inflamed causing meningoencephalitis. The pancreas is another target organ resulting in pancreatitis. Especially after adolescence, mumps tends to affect the ovary (oophoritis) and the testis (orchitis). The mature testis is particularly susceptible to damage from mumps which can lead to infertility.
- Webmd [2]: In children, mumps is generally a mild illness, and complications are rare. When complications develop, they may include: (similar list of symptoms to wikipedia article). Adults infected with mumps often have more severe symptoms and are more likely to develop complications than children. However, long-lasting problems from complications are rare. Indium 05:20, 18 November 2005 (UTC)
The edit of this section at 20:42 on 19 November 2005 by user Nunh-huh is unusual. An edit which added balance to an unbalanced POV section was deleted on a basis that is not valid (stating "a page really can't cite itself....").
Further, the section has now been edited in a manner which will give the casual and the lay reader an unbalanced understanding of the risks of mumps, which are rare. It is not clear why this section continues to be edited in this manner. It is not clear why the valid edit was deleted.
Perhaps User Nunh-huh would be so kind as to explain? 81.111.172.198 17:38, 21 November 2005 (UTC)
- What's unusual is beginning an article with a long quote. Your version says nothing different than what was already there, it just moves it up to the top. There's no imbalance here. - Nunh-huh 19:45, 21 November 2005 (UTC)
So what is the "causes" section now embellished with a {{sectNPOV}} tag?[3] I have rewritten the intro with original material which explains that adults are more at risk for complications than children, which is true. I have also mentioned infertility, because although rare this is understandably a major issue for most of our readers. I think it would be strange to tone down this article more than necessary. If there are figures available, why hide them? I think a publically acceptable number needed to treat to prevent a case of infertility is very high. JFW | T@lk 22:05, 21 November 2005 (UTC)
- Why make a mild illness appear serious when it is not? 81.111.172.198 22:35, 21 November 2005 (UTC)
- That is not an adequate description of my edit. I clearly stated that it is a mild illness with symptoms somewhat more severe in adolescents and grownups. Would you consider it a mild illness if you'd be unable to have children as a result? JFW | T@lk 00:41, 22 November 2005 (UTC)
- Given that you've sprinkled NPOV tags everywhere, could you state clearly which parts of the article you don't agree with? This will facilitate discussion, and enable us to reach consensus on how some things should be phrased. This does not mean that useful statistics will be removed because they sound uncomfortable to you. JFW | T@lk 00:47, 22 November 2005 (UTC)
- It seems certain Users (you, Nunh-huh, Geni and it will become clearer as time passes how many others) revert valid edits which accurately describe disease risks and make pages describing mild illnesses like mumps as if they are really serious illnesses. In such circumstances it would assist if you could please explain how you believe "consensus" could be achieved?
- In your particular case you have deleted text proposed not by me but by a different user and that is text which came from a medical source, with a reference and which accurately describes in a neat convenient manner the main point most people, including parents like me, want and need to know about mumps. You deleted the text and replaced it with text which is just plain wrong, without a reference, which is your own wording and you did it because, as you admit yourself in your personal point of view you believe it was "better than external quote".
- I note that Nunh-huh added an edit to "Prevention" that claims "Anti-vaccine activists disagree." (Revision as of 21:54, 31 August 2005) which explains where you folks are coming from. Why do none of you want ordinary people to have accurate information about childhood diseases? What is your motivation? It needs to be explained because you are claiming to seek consensus but you and the others indicate that is not what is really wanted. 81.111.172.198 07:35, 22 November 2005 (UTC)