TORONTO - Officials of the National Hockey League and the general public may find it unexpected to see chipmunk-cheeked hockey stars who have contracted mumps. But to public health experts, an outbreak in this setting is not surprising, given the ages of the athletes and the conditions under which they play.At least five NHL teams have reported 15 players who have contracted the mumps virus. The most high profile is Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, captured in photographs with one swollen cheek. Late Tuesday, the Penguins confirmed forward Beau Bennett is also infected.Teams have been scrambling to get their players revaccinated against the virus. Its a smart move; mumps outbreaks can last for months if the virus gets into a group of susceptible people.Given that theyre going to continue to be exposed to each other with their very busy schedule, this could fester for a while, Dr. Greg Wallace, a mumps expert from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, said Tuesday of the NHL outbreak. Vaccinating NHL teams should help to shorten the length of this outbreak. But it takes several weeks for the vaccine to generate a good antibody response, and the vaccine doesnt protect in 100 per cent of cases.As well, the incubation period of the disease is long — 12 to 25 days. So there could be players now who are infected but unaware of that fact, meaning more players could be sidelined with mumps over the next three weeks. The mumps virus can cause inflammation in the salivary glands found in the cheek, under the tongue or under the jawbone, leading to the characteristic facial swelling. Both sides of the face can be affected, but it isnt uncommon to see only one side puff up.The once common viral disease infected most people in childhood before a mumps vaccine was introduced in the early 1970s.The use of vaccine has reduced the number of mumps cases in Canada by about 99 per cent, said Dr. Gaston De Serres, an infectious diseases expert with Quebecs provincial public health agency.But sporadic outbreaks continue to be recorded. A large epidemic occurred in 2006 and 2007; the outbreak, which began in Nova Scotia, eventually stretched to all 10 provinces, though several had fewer than two dozen cases. The total for that outbreak was 1,284, 777 of them in Nova Scotia.Contemporary outbreaks often happen in groups of people who have close interactions. University campuses have been the site or source of many outbreaks in recent years, said Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbias deputy provincial health officer.The virus is spread through saliva droplets, so activities like kissing or sharing a cigarette or marijuana joint can propel the virus through groups of students, she said.Its easy to see the opportunities for spread among hockey players. In fact, Dr. Shelley Deeks of Public Health Ontario agreed hockey provides a perfect scenario for spread of the mumps virus. There are the cramped quarters on the bench and in the locker-room. The shared water bottles. Players coughing or gasping to recover their breath after the exertion of a breakaway or a busy shift. The nose-to-nose jostling that can be the foreplay of a fight.Youve got this group of people who are relatively susceptible given their age and then you introduce a virus into that population, said Deeks, who is the Ontario agencys medical director for immunization and vaccine preventable disease.But why are the NHLers relatively susceptible? After all, they are of an age where they were likely vaccinated against mumps in childhood. And any — like Crosby — who played in the Sochi Olympics earlier this year were likely given a booster dose of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — though the concern heading to Sochi was measles, not mumps.Anyone born before 1970 is assumed to have had mumps in childhood because the virus circulated routinely then. And even those born between 1970 and 1980 are thought to have pretty good protection. They would have received a dose of vaccine, but they may too have gotten the mumps — the virus still circulated during that time.After 1980, though, mumps became rarer as the effect of vaccination programs took hold, Deeks explained.But in the early days of mumps vaccination, it was thought one dose would suffice to immunize children for life. Later it became apparent that wasnt true and a two-dose regimen was adopted in Canada around 1997, Henry said.Even at two doses, the mumps vaccine is not the most effective vaccine on the market. During a 2011 outbreak in British Columbia, about five per cent of the 132 cases were people who had received two doses of vaccine.Its not a perfect vaccine. And there are some people who will have two doses and will still get sick with it. If theyve been exposed and theyve had a high level of exposure, then they may not have enough antibody to protect them, Henry said.Wallace said two doses of mumps vaccine protect about 88 per cent of people from the mumps virus. So its easy to imagine if youve got 100 players and staff who are basically constantly together during the season, that if theyre all exposed you could potentially see 10, 12, 15 getting it.But keep in mind todays hockey players are from the cohort that typically received only one vaccination. At one dose, the vaccine is thought to protect between 60 and 90 per cent of people, Henry said.Containing a mumps outbreak can be tough. Wallace said an infected person is contagious a day or two before he or she shows symptoms of being ill. That means you can isolate a hockey player once you know he has mumps. But by then he may have already spread the virus to a teammate or an opponent.Also, the severity of symptoms varies, with some people showing few or barely any symptoms. Wallace said it is not known if people with very mild mumps are as contagious as people with more severe symptoms.In addition to the swelling of salivary glands, mumps can cause inflammation in the testicles in post-pubescent males, the breast tissue of pubescent girls and the ovaries of females past puberty, De Serres said.Orchitis — the swelling of one or both testicles — happens in about one-third of mumps cases in adult males, he said.Many people believe mumps that involve orchitis can lead to infertility. But that is rarely true. Its something that people talk about, but its impact on fertility, its not big, said Wallace. In some cases, mumps can lead to permanent deafness — generally in one ear, on the side where swelling occurred. It can also trigger meningitis — inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord — and on rare occasions, encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain.But the complication rates tend to be lower among people who have been vaccinated. Air Max 270 Sale . The Wild, playing their first game since leading scorer Mikko Koivu broke his ankle Saturday at Washington, have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 1-5. Koivu underwent surgery on Monday and is expected to miss at least four weeks. Cheap Air Max 270 Wholesale .Inter Milan and Napoli also advanced to ensure there will be at least three Italian clubs in the last 32 of Europes secondary competition.Spurs victory, secured by Benjamin Stamboulis 49th-minute winner, was overshadowed by a succession of pitch invasions that forced the referee to halt the game after 41 minutes. http://www.airmax270shoescheap.com/. -- Damian Lillard couldnt believe when he got a clear look at the rim. Cheap Air Max 270 Sale . - Kyle Wood and Barclay Goodrow scored second period power-play goals to provide all of the scoring for the North Bay Battalion in a 2-0 victory over the Erie Otters in Ontario Hockey League action on Thursday. Air Max 270 Shoes Cheap . Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas appeared to be on track to gain election from the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday, and Craig Biggio could join them.Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Harrison scored 16 points and No. 1 Kentucky, which lost some support in the polls following its first rocky week of the season, answered its critics by spanking Missouri 86-37 on Tuesday. Harrison made five of his seven shots from the perimeter and Karl-Anthony Towns did a bit of everything, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. Kentucky, which established itself as the nations top team during a dominant non-conference slate, was due for a big win following a pair of nailbiters last week. The Wildcats (16-0, 3-0 SEC) needed overtime to beat Ole Miss on Jan. 6, then survived a double-OT thriller against Texas A&M four days later. They returned to the friendly confines of Rupp Arena after those two road tests and returned to form, hitting 48.2 percent of their shots while limiting Missouri to just 27.1 percent shooting. Missouris leading scorer Johnathan Williams III only managed three points on 1-of-13 shooting. Wes Clark and Keanau Post both had 10 points to lead the Tigers (7-9, 1-2). Final Score: (2) Virginia 65, Clemson 42 Charlottesville, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Malcolm Brogdon scored 16 points to lead No. 2 Virginia in a 65-42 win over Clemson on Tuesday. Justin Anderson scored 15 points as the only other player in double figures for the Cavs (16-0, 4-0 ACC), who won the opening four ACC games on their slate for the first time since 1994-95. Jaron Blossomgame posted nine points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (9-7, 1-3). Final Score: Miami-Florida 90, (4) Duke 74 Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - When Duke heads to Louisville for Saturdays marquee matchup with Louisville, itll do so having dropped back-to-back ACC games for the first time in six years. Manu Lecomte scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, leading a torrid shooting display from Miami-Florida after the break that propelled the Hurricanes to a stunning 90-74 upset of the fourth-ranked Blue Devils. Miami (12-4, 2-1 ACC) halted the nations longest home win streak in emphatic fashion, putting up 56 second-half points on an 18-of-27 effort from the field that included six makes in nine attempts from 3-point range. Lecomte and Angel Rodriguez were the catalysts of the onslaught, with the latter tallying 15 of his 24 points over the final 20 minutes. The duo combined to go 7-of-10 on 3-pointers for the game. Duke (14-2, 2-2) had prevailed in 41 straight tests at Cameron Indoor Stadium since an 88-70 loss to North Carolina on March 3, 2012. However, the shooting woes that plagued the Blue Devils in Sundays 87-75 defeat at NC State came back to haunt them again on Tuesday, resulting in the programs first losing skid in conference play since Feb. 11-15, 2009. After shooting a season-low 36.9 percent from the floor against the Wolfpack, Duke made just 6-of-21 tries from beyond the arc to go along with a woeful 10- of-20 performance from the foul line. Itll now take those struggles into a road showdown against one of the top defensive teams in the country in No. 6 Louisville. Quinn Cook did finish with 18 points in the loss, with Jahlil Okafor compiling 15 with 15 rebounds for the Blue Devils and Amile Jefferson posting 14 points and 12 boards. Final Score: (6) Louisville 78, Virginia Tech 63 Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - Terry Roziers 16 points led a balanced Louisville attack as the sixth-ranked Cardinals cruised to a 78-63 victory over Virginia Tech in an ACC clash. Rozier went 4-of-6 from 3-point range, while Wayne Blackshear hit three shots from beyond the arc in a 15-point effort in the Cardinals final tuneup before Saturdays home showdown with No. 4 Duke. Montrezl Harrell and Mangok Mathiang each finished with 11 points and eight rebounds for Louisville (15-2, 3-1 ACC). Harrell added three blocks to anchor a Cardinal defense that held the Hokies to a 34.1 shooting percentage inside the arc. Adam Smith ended 5-of-7 on 3-point attempts and scored 19 points for Virginia Tech (8-8, 0-3). Justin Bibbs and Ahmed Hill had 15 and 14, respectively, in the Hokies fourth consecutive defeat. Final Score: (9) Kansas 67, (24) Oklahoma State 57 Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Frank Mason III scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to help No. 9 Kansas beat 24th-ranked Oklahoma State 67-57 on Tuesday. Mason III was 9-of-11 from the free throw line, where Kansas (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) spent much of the night. The Jayhawks made 32 of their 46 attempts at the charity stripe and only attempted 43 shots from the field. Kansas also got 14 points and six rebounds from Kelly Oubre Jr. The Cowboys (12-4, 2-2) got 21 points from LeBryan Nash and 18 from Phil Forte, the Big 12s two leading scorers. The pair totaled 20 of those points on free throws as Oklahoma State wwent 22-of-25 from the line.dddddddddddd Beyond Nash and Forte, Oklahoma State got little production. The 10 other Cowboys that took the floor combined to shoot 7-of-29. Final Score: (16) West Virginia 86, (18) Oklahoma 65 Morgantown, WV (SportsNetwork.com) - Jevon Carter scored 18 points with a full line off the bench on Tuesday, leading No. 16 West Virginia to a convincing 86-65 win over 18th-ranked Oklahoma. Devin Williams had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Juwan Staten, WVUs leading scorer, shot just 1-of-9 but made up for it by dishing out a game-high eight assists. Carter made 4-of-6 from 3- point range and added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Nathan Adrian chipped in 11 points for West Virginia (15-2, 3-1 Big 12), which turned 22 OU turnovers into 27 points. Buddy Hield scored 21 points and Isaiah Cousins had 14 on seven shots for Oklahoma (11-5, 2-2), but bench play was an issue once again in the Sooners second straight loss. Their four key reserves combined for just eight points, led by Khadeem Lattins four. Final Score: (17) VCU 65, Rhode Island 60 Kingston, RI (SportsNetwork.com) - Treveon Graham scored 16 of his 26 points in the second half and No. 17 VCU rallied from nine points down to beat Rhode Island 65-60 on Tuesday night. VCU took its first lead since the first half on Grahams 3-pointer with 2 1/2 minutes left, part of a 12-2 run to end the game sparked by Melvin Johnsons 3 on the previous possession. Mo Alie-Cox scored the last of his 10 points on a dunk during the surge and Johnson added nine points for VCU (14-3, 4-0 Atlantic 10), which has won nine in a row since falling to current No. 2 Virginia on Dec. 6. E.C. Matthews scored 22 points to lead Rhode Island (11-4, 3-1), which had a six-game winning streak stopped and lost for the first time in eight home games this season. Hassan Martin added 10 points and 10 rebounds in the loss and Jarelle Reischel also scored 10. Rhode Island only scored two more points after Matthews leaning 3 from the right corner and Jared Terrells dunk gave it a 58-53 lead with under 3 1/2 minutes remaining. Final Score: Tennessee 74, (19) Arkansas 69 Knoxville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Josh Richardson scored 20 points and Tennessee knocked off No. 19 Arkansas 74-69 on Tuesday night after surviving a late rally by the Razorbacks. Arkansas found a hot hand, trimming a 16-point deficit in the second half to one with 13.9 seconds left on Anton Beards 3- pointer, which came after Devon Baulkman missed two foul shots at the other end. Kevin Punter made his free throws for a three-point Volunteers lead, then inexplicably fouled Beard on a long 3-point try with 5.1 seconds remaining. But Beard missed the first two foul shots, then the third one on purpose and Tennessee grabbed the rebound to hold on. Robert Hubbs III added 16 points and Armani Moore scored 14 for the Volunteers (10-5, 2-1 SEC), who have multiple wins over ranked teams for the ninth time in 10 seasons. The Vols beat then- No. 15 Butler in Knoxville on Dec. 14. SEC scoring leader Bobby Portis paced Arkansas with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Michael Qualls added 15 points and Beard scored 12 for the Razorbacks (13-3, 2-1), who had a seven-game winning streak snapped. Final Score: Butler 79, (21) Seton Hall 75 (OT) Newark, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) - Roosevelt Jones made consecutive baskets late in overtime to help Butler beat No. 21 Seton Hall 79-75 on Tuesday night. Jones drove the baseline and made a reverse layup to put the Bulldogs up 75-72 with 56 seconds remaining. After Khadeen Carrington missed a jumper for Seton Hall, Jones powered down the lane for another layup. Carrington nailed a 3- pointer to pull the Pirates within three, but Jackson Aldridge sunk a free throw with four seconds left to seal the win. Jones finished with 23 points and eight rebounds for Butler (13-5, 3-2 Big East), which got nine points and 15 rebounds from Kameron Woods. Kellen Dunham had 21 points for the Bulldogs, but missed a potential game-winning jumper at the end of regulation. Sterling Gibbs made six 3-pointers and scored 30 points for the Pirates (13-4, 3-2). Carrington totaled 20 points in defeat. Final Score: (23) Northern Iowa 63, Bradley 52 Peoria, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Seth Tuttle finished with 15 points and seven rebounds as No. 23 Northern Iowa held off Bradley for a 63-52 victory on Tuesday. Natt Buss supplied 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench and Paul Jesperson was 3-of-4 from 3-point range and finished with nine points for the Panthers (14-2, 3-1 MVC), who have won four straight games. Auston Barnes netted 14 points, Warren Jones scored 10 and Josh Cunningham had nine points and 11 boards for the Braves (6-11, 1-3), who were coming off a 66-56 loss to Evansville on Saturday. ' ' '