US Warship Quarantined In Persian Gulf From Viral Outbreak

Viral outbreaks have been cropping up more recently, most notably with the measles outbreaks across the U.S. But, as a new report reveals, outbreaks aren’t limited to small communities or children.

According to the Daily Mail, a U.S. warship in the Persian Gulf in the Middle East has been quarantined at sea for two months because of a viral outbreak. Twenty-five members of the USS Fort McHenry’s 703 person crew have been diagnosed with parotitis, a viral infection that causes inflammation of the parotid glands between the ear and jaw, resulting in the quarantine.

The first reported case cropped up in December, with the most recent case being reported on March 9. All patients are being treated in the ship’s medical facility. Despite the number of cases, none of the crew has been forced to leave the ship because of the parotitis. And to ensure no one becomes infected, the ship’s communal spaces have been disinfected.

The reason this is of note is that parotitis can be a result of the mumps, which can be prevented through vaccination.

"None of the cases are life-threatening and all have either already made or are expected to make a full recovery," a statement from the Fifth Fleet said. "Out of an abundance of caution, all service-members aboard Fort McHenry have received measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) booster vaccinations."