Observations on a Mumps Epidemic in a “Virgin” Population1

Chickenpox, Measles, and Mumps

“…Of these, only 8 (40%) were clinically apparent compared with an incidence of 57 clinically apparent cases (62%) among 92 nonpregnant women. Overt disease does not seem to be more common during pregnancy [495]. Some complications, such as mastitis and perhaps thyroiditis, are more frequent in postpubertal women than in men, but probably do not occur more commonly in pregnant women than in other women [495].…”

“…In contrast to varicella and measles, when mumps occurs in pregnant women, the illness is generally benign and is not appreciably more severe than it is in other women [489][490][491][492][493][494][495][496][497][498]. In a 1957 "virgin soil" epidemic of mumps among the Inuit, 20 infections occurred in pregnant women.…”

“…Overt disease does not seem to be more common during pregnancy [495]. Some complications, such as mastitis and perhaps thyroiditis, are more frequent in postpubertal women than in men, but probably do not occur more commonly in pregnant women than in other women [495]. Mumps virus has been isolated on the 3rd postpartum day from the milk of a woman who developed parotitis 2 days antepartum [499].…”

“…Most cases occurred in the first 4 months of pregnancy [490,495,496,498,[501][502][503]. In one instance, mumps virus was isolated from a 10-week fetus spontaneously aborted 4 days after the mother developed clinical mumps [503].…”

“…Although several cases of parotitis have been reported in women near delivery and their neonates and infants [495,[516][517][518][519], the significance of these reports is often uncertain, especially when clinically apparent mumps only is present in the mother. Other viral, bacterial, and noninfectious causes are difficult to exclude without laboratory evidence of mumps infection.…”