The National Hockey League saw an outbreak of mumps earlier this season. Over 20 players and two officials were diagnosed with or showed signs of the disease.

Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Derick Brassard of the New York Rangers, and Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks are among the players that have been diagnosed within the last few months.

Mumps, which is a contagious infection that causes swelling of the salivary glands, fever and aches, is now considered a rare disease in the United States. Since the MMR vaccination became popular in the 1970s, the number of annual cases of measles, mumps and rubella has decreased exponentially. The total cases of mumps plummeted from hundreds of thousands annually to only 1,078 in 2014 (note that this statistic is cases reported as of November 29th). In 2013, these numbers were even lower, with only 438 people diagnosed with mumps. These small numbers are largely due to the MMR vaccine; although it is not 100 percent effective, it prevents the vast majority of cases of mumps, especially when the two dose series is completed.

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A report from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that it is the responsibility of employers and employees to ensure travel health before, during, and after any type of travel, whether it is business related or not.

According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 35% of all travel is business related, but travel related diseases have an equal spread across all demographics due to a lack of pre-travel prevention.

“The failure of travelers to receive preventive medication results in unnecessary illness, medical expense, and the potential spread of contagious diseases within their local communities,” says the report. Employers are encouraged to identify employees who may travel internationally and to refer them to qualified health care professionals for the purpose of providing helpful travel health information and vaccinations that could protect those traveling employees and others within the workplace environment.

Employees traveling to developing countries or high risk areas are asked to take specific precautions by OSHA and the CDC, including:

• Speak with a travel health specialist and receive any necessary vaccinations and preventative medicines before the trip.
• Be sure to receive any booster vaccinations against any disease for which immunity may have diminished such as: yellow fever, tetanus, typhoid and/or influenza.
• Don’t handle animals in the region, especially monkeys, dogs, and cats, to avoid bites and serious diseases like rabies.
• Drink bottled or boiled water, and avoid tap water or ice that may be contaminated.

OSHA is a regulatory organization within the Department of Labor that oversees health and safety issues in the workplace, especially those involving exposure to harm, employee access to information, and required safety procedures. Its mission since 1970 has been to “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.”

For more information on what employees and employers can do to avoid illness in the workplace, whether it be from travel or endemic diseases, see Passport Health’s Employer Solutions pages.

Cervical cancer is responsible for more than 270,000 deaths around the world every year with the vast majority of cases taking place in the developing world. By and large, this cancer is a preventable disease and the World Health Organization has released new guidelines in hopes of dropping the infection rate and saving lives.

The main elements of the WHO’s plan are: vaccinate 9 to 13-year-old girls with two doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; use HPV tests to screen for cervical cancer; and establish better communication between patients, doctors, and other professionals.

Girls in more than 55 countries are being protected by measures like the HPV vaccine, including a growing number of women in low and middle income countries who are now gaining access to the vaccination. According to the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control, receiving the vaccination is the best way to prevent HPV and its related complications. This does not discount the need for screening, however, which should still be done at least once every five to ten years.

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The Food and Drug Administration, alongside the Centers for Disease Control, announced an outbreak of listeriosis caused by prepackaged caramel apples. So far, this outbreak has led to 31 hospitalizations, seven deaths, and three cases of meningitis.

Meningitis is a potentially deadly disease that can be caused by bacterial infections like listeria, but it is generally preventable through vaccination. Completing the recommended vaccine schedule, for both children and adults, will typically provide an individual with the necessary immunity to avoid meningitis if exposed to listeriosis or other infections that can lead to bacterial meningitis.

“Listeriosis is a generally rare but serious illness,” said Melanie Kohr, RN, Vice-President of Clinic Operations for Passport Health. “In some cases, it can develop into meningitis, especially in the young and the immunocompromised, but those most at risk are in the unvaccinated population. This situation is not entirely unlike what we saw in Disneyland; although this disease is nowhere near as contagious, it can still cause some serious problems.”

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Since the year 2000, the number of global measles cases has dropped 67%, with under 300,000 cases reported worldwide in 2013. This is a huge step forward for measles elimination, and a new method of vaccine delivery could reduce the number of cases even further.

This new method involves inhaling the vaccine.

For years, the measles vaccine has been delivered via a process similar to how children get ‘astronaut ice cream:’ the freeze drying process. The vaccine is first frozen and then put into a low-pressure environment which allows the frozen solid vaccine to transition directing into a gas (called sublimation). What remains is a vaccine ‘powder’.

This powder can then be sent around the world. With the addition of water, the measles vaccine can then be created. While turning vaccine into powder is a great process for transfer, there is one drawback. Once reconstituted, the vaccine will only last about one hour before it loses its potency. This is a serious problem in developing regions of the world where individuals may have to travel long distances for care.

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