Sidney Crosby Has The Mumps
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Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images(PITTSBURGH) — The NHL has had a rash of mumps outbreaks in the past couple weeks.
The latest victim is its’ most high profile player; Sidney Crosby.
According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Crosby becomes the latest NHL player to contract the virus.
The list includes: Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin of the Anahiem Ducks, Tanner Glass of the New York Rangers, Travis Zajac and Adam Larsson of the New Jersey Devils, as well as Ryan Suter, Keith Ballard, Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin and Christian Folin of the Minnesota Wild. The St. Louis Blues also were reported to have a couple players diagnosed.
Mumps cases have been rare for several decades as most children receive a vaccination.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Mumps is a viral infection that primarily affects the parotid glands — one of three pairs of saliva-producing (salivary) glands, situated below and in front of your ears… it can cause swelling in one or both parotid glands.”
The NHL is taking proactive measures to control the outbreak and educate teams about how to handle the disease.
According to an NHL spokesman, the league has been working with team doctors and physicians to avoid spreading the virus in team locker rooms, as well as distributing “links to the CDC website” and disseminating “literature regarding mumps.”
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