Haredim More Likely To Get And Transmit Mumps Because Of Face-To-Face Studying And Overcrowding, Study Finds

A new study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine finds that haredi boys who study with a study partner face-to-face or in groups studying face-to-face are more likely to get the mumps – even if they were vaccinated against it – than other boys who study in a normal classroom setting in which all students face the front.

Originally published at 9:28 pm CST 11-4-2012

Haredim More Likely To Get And Transmit Mumps Because Of Face-To-Face Studying And Overcrowding, Study Finds
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

A new study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine finds that haredi boys who study with a study partner face-to-face or in groups studying face-to-face are more likely to get the mumps – even if they were vaccinated against it – than other boys who study in a normal classroom setting in which all students face the front, the Jerusalem Post reports, noting that higher rates of infectious disease have also been reported among Israeli haredim, “mostly boys but also members of their family of both sexes and all ages,”  because they have far lower vaccination rates than American haredim and because of the overcrowding in which they live and study.

Mumps has almost been eradicated in the US because of near universal vaccination.

Mumps can lead to orchitis, an inflammation of one or both testicles that can cause sterility; meningitis; pancreatitis; deafness; mastitis; and Bell’s palsy.

In the US mumps outbreak studied, more than 3,500 cases were reported in haredi teens aged 13 to 17 in New Jersey, New York City and Rockland and Orange counties. The outbreak is believed to have originated with a 11-year-old haredi boy in a Catskills summer camp who had been vaccinated as recommended.

More than 400 of those cases led to orchitis.

The study notes that when people live work and study in overcrowded conditions over a long time period, viruses like the mumps are more likely to overwhelm them even if they are vaccinated.

Asked to comment, the head of Israel’s Health Ministry’s epidemiology department, Dr. Paul Slater, who is reportedly haredi, told the Post that the ministry has not changed its policy on vaccinations of haredim because of the outbreaks.

“We do not give a third vaccination against the mumps. We have an outbreak once in a long while. We are busy catching up and vaccinating those who have not received the two vaccinations. It is a huge investment in manpower.…We don’t know what infectious disease will be coming next. It is very hard to anticipate. I don’t wish the mumps on anybody, but we can’t vaccinate everybody every year. Yet we are trying our best to increase vaccination coverage to the level recommended by the Health Ministry. One can measure antibody levels and find they are OK, but due to the close proximity, they can still get sick.”

When there is a major outbreak, public health nurses come to yeshivot to administer vaccinations. But most of the students refuse to be vaccinated because most public health nurses are women, and they don’t want the women to touch them, Slater told the Post.

The Post reports that the average vaccination rate for Israeli haredi children is 70%, while the rate is 95% among Arabs and a little lower than 95% for the general Jewish population.

Asked by the Post whether changing the tradition of hevrutas in small confined spaces would reduce the infection and disease transmission levels, Slater said that “nothing would induce the yeshivot to change their study habits.”

When asked by the Post whether better ventilation would “dilute” the viruses in the air, Slater responded that better ventilation would help, but it’s up to haredim to make it happen.

“Yes, keeping the windows open and better ventilation would improve things, but this is something we can’t control,” Slater reportedly said.

Comments

[David]

Yes, defintely having fresh air (and sunshine) would help.

I am surprised that there are still outbreaks even when the charedim claim to be vaccinated (I now no longer believe anything charedim say, without proof).

Is there something missing here? Of course, when vaccination rates are low, resistance is more likely to develop, but they claim to be vaccinated.

Again, it is shown how poor education leads to poor outcomes for the charedim. Were they educated, they would know they need to be vaccinated. In this case, the actual rate of vaccination as stated above is 70%, probably not enough to provide herd immunity and allowing resistance to develop. And I would be surprised if the figure were really 70%. It is probably much lower than that. Someone is lying or massaging the figures.

[...]

Why are you not reporting on Wendy Runge?

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

For a minute there, I thought the blame was going to be placed on all of that "deep kissing" in the coffee room.

[Shmarya]

Why are you not reporting on Wendy Runge?

Posted by: ... | November 05, 2012 at 12:38 AM

Distracted by the storm.

[jancsbacsi]

Just like transmitting stupidity to their young more likely because they are so into themselfs so its no surprise .

[Garnel Ironheart]

Oh come on! Maybe they should all sit in little cubicles like veal and just twitter their thoughts to each other like university students?

[Jeff]

Oh come on! Maybe they should all sit in little cubicles like veal and just twitter their thoughts to each other like university students?

Maybe they shouldn't be sitting around all day at all.

[Lubavitchers are Christians]

The NYC Board of Health should require every haredi kid to sign a release form before they sit down to study with their friend, that they understand that they risk an increased chance of mumps due to their studying habits.

(And once we're at it, the NYC Board of Health should also require gays to sign a release form before they have sex, stating that they understand....... forget it. Let's not go there.)

[EileenK]

Why can't the principals/rabbis/headmasters of the yeshivot REQUIRE that all students receive immunizations to serious contagious diseases that spread in group quarters?

Yeshiva students are not the only ones who study in closed rooms in groups. When I was in college, we often studied together in a dorm room with the windows closed to keep out the winter chill. There were five or six of us, one of whom had come down with viral tonsilitis. We studied silently because we all had different subjects for which we were taking finals, but we still breathed on each other.

Yet back in the bad old days, there were no mumps or measles outbreaks. These came about ten years later when doctors discovered some of the measles vaccine to be defective. There was then a massive drive to re-immunize college students.

Students who have the luxury of living on campus and going to school full time will always study in groups and breathe on each other. That's why they need to be vaccinated and have access to good on-campus health care.

[זבה גדולה]

so I guess Toreh Study will be next on Bloomy's list to ban!

And all the Antisemites on here will be cheering!!!

[Garnel Ironheart]

How 'bout these folks learn halacha and get immunized and proper proper hygeine like Jewish law demands instead of inventing chumros so they can feel like they're being pious?

[Rocky]

Do people catch mumps from riding on crowded subway cars?

[Jeff]

Do people catch mumps from riding on crowded subway cars?

Only if the men and women sit together.

[No_Light]

Shmarya should require every FM reader to sign a release form before they sit down to read the comments, stating that they understand that they risk an increased chance of helpless rage and suicidality due to LaC's unmitigated idiocy, appalling ignorance, and bigotry so profound that he makes Stormfront look tolerant.

Hopefully he'll get mumps and develop orchitis, spare the world from being covered in any more of his repulsive DNA.

[tal]

If people would actually read the free preview, the would find that:

"in 2006, a large outbreak occurred among highly vaccinated populations in the United States, and similar outbreaks have been reported worldwide."

In other words, not only are these epidemics not exclusive to Haredim, they are occuring in highly-vaccinated people.

Furthermore, vaccination status was documented:

"Among case patients 13 to 17 years of age with documented vaccination status, 89% had previously received two doses of a mumps-containing vaccine, and 8% had received one dose."

Do I think these boys need more fresh air & sunshine? Absolutely. Considering their lifestyle, they are probably all deficient in vitamin D which can help mitigate infectious diseases.

Here's the link to the free preview, but you'll have to pay 15 bucks for full access:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1202865

[Shmarya]

Please.

Talk about misrepresenting what I wrote and what the study found!

Do try to process:

1. Mumps had been almost completely eradicated in the US until these kids got sick.

2. Of the 3502 outbreak-related cases of mumps that were reported in New York City, two upstate New York counties, and one New Jersey county in 2009 and 2010, 1648 cases had clinical specimens available. Orthodox Jews accounted for 97% of case patients.

As the abstract you cite (but don't quote) clearly states:
Background

By 2005, vaccination had reduced the annual incidence of mumps in the United States by more than 99%, with few outbreaks reported. However, in 2006, a large outbreak occurred among highly vaccinated populations in the United States, and similar outbreaks have been reported worldwide. The outbreak described in this report occurred among U.S. Orthodox Jewish communities during 2009 and 2010.
Methods

Cases of salivary-gland swelling and other symptoms clinically compatible with mumps were investigated, and demographic, clinical, laboratory, and vaccination data were evaluated.

Results

From June 28, 2009, through June 27, 2010, a total of 3502 outbreak-related cases of mumps were reported in New York City, two upstate New York counties, and one New Jersey county. Of the 1648 cases for which clinical specimens were available, 50% were laboratory-confirmed. Orthodox Jewish persons accounted for 97% of case patients. Adolescents 13 to 17 years of age (27% of all patients) and males (78% of patients in that age group) were disproportionately affected. Among case patients 13 to 17 years of age with documented vaccination status, 89% had previously received two doses of a mumps-containing vaccine, and 8% had received one dose. Transmission was focused within Jewish schools for boys, where students spend many hours daily in intense, face-to-face interaction. Orchitis was the most common complication (120 cases, 7% of male patients ≥12 years of age), with rates significantly higher among unvaccinated persons than among persons who had received two doses of vaccine.
Conclusions

The epidemiologic features of this outbreak suggest that intense exposures, particularly among boys in schools, facilitated transmission and overcame vaccine-induced protection in these patients. High rates of two-dose coverage reduced the severity of the disease and the transmission to persons in settings of less intense exposure.

[Jeff]

Shmarya should require every FM reader to sign a release form before they sit down to read the comments, stating that they understand that they risk an increased chance of helpless rage and suicidality due to LaC's unmitigated idiocy, appalling ignorance, and bigotry so profound that he makes Stormfront look tolerant.

HA!

THANK you!

[njsmiley]

to Eileen K at 9:20
So you are comparing study groups (daily? off two months in the summer and one month in the winter???) occurring outside the classroom where students mostly faced front to entire day every day chavrusa learning which goes well into the late night and all year long? OK that is just really off the mark.