豬臉病 - Lessons learned in a foreign land

Foreign countries seem to teach us many things about the world that we had not previously known. In this instance, we've learned that it is possible to contract a mostly extinct disease (in first world countries) despite prior immunization. More specifically, Binbin has been diagnosed with "pig face disease" or mumps, despite having been vaccinated at 18 months in the US. In the US there are about 300 cases/year according to the CDC, about 6/state. It's more common here, yet everyone young has supposedly been immunized as well. So, it's a mystery how he got it. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to be too under the weather. The main symptom is massive swelling of the face, his right side, and pain caused from the swelling. We're told it should pass on its own in a week and there is no treatment. He's under self-imposed quarantine and cannot go to school or hang out with other kids for a week. The Taiwanese government tracks the cases and will be contacting Binbin's school to find out whether there are other kids who contracted it as well. The source will probably remain unknown. We've also learned that immunization only works in about 70-80% of recipients, and 20% of those who contract mumps are asymptomatic. Ah, the good old diseases of the developing world.

The good side:


Pig face - otherwise known as the bad side: