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. Air Force 1 Clearance . 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 Force 270 China . Dillon Brooks scored 26 points on 9-17 shooting for Canada while pulling down six rebounds and picking up six steals. Teammate Chris Egi had 20 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. Air Force 1 Low Store . Especially after he got ejected. "How many innings was that?" he wondered. http://www.airforce1storesale.com/ . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil.(SportsNetwork.com) - With apologies to Paul Revere and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, winning is most certainly a two if by land proposition for the modern-day Kansas City Chiefs. The 2014 Chiefs have lived and died based on the fortunes of running backs Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis, whove combined for 1,388 yards on the ground and scored 21 of the teams 36 touchdowns. Itll be the same scenario for Week 16, when Kansas City visits Pittsburgh, whose run defense has allowed 183 yards and one score in its last two games. Davis had a pair of touchdowns in the Chiefs 31-13 defeat of Oakland last week, while Charles is listed probable to face the Steelers after dinging up an ankle and undergoing a concussion test after a hard hit. Every game from here forward is a playoff game. Were taking that mindset into every game, Davis said. For me, its just a dream to be in the NFL. To make the big plays and help this team win is just huge all around. Meanwhile, the drought continues for the Chiefs wide receivers, whove now gone 17 games across two seasons without a touchdown, matching Denver (1971-72) and Cleveland (2008-09) for the longest streaks since the AFL-NFL merger. Quarterback Alex Smith has 18 TD throws, including five each to Charles and tight end Travis Kelce and four to another tight end, Anthony Fasano. The two Browns teams involved in Clevelands streak were a combined 9-23, while the two Broncos teams were 9-18-1. The fact that theyre still winning games and havent been able to have passing touchdowns like that, it shows that theyre a very resourceful team, Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats said. Both Pittsburgh and Kansas City will need some success this week to stay playoff relevant. The Steelers, at 9-5, are tied for second with Baltimore in a competitively muddled AFC North, each sitting a half-game behind Cincinnati. The Bengals play Monday night against Denver - which has already clinched the AFC West ahead of the Chiefs - while Baltimore heads to Houston. Pittsburgh finishes the regular season with Cincinnati next weekend. The Steelers beat the Bengals, 42-21, in Week 14, then came back and won at Atlanta, 27-20, last Sunday. A win against the Chiefs and Pittsburgh will clinch at least a wild-card berth. The last couple of games have been playoff games for us, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. Weve had to take that approach and that mindset because of how important every game was where we were record wise, seed-wise whatever you want to call it. Weve kind of had that mentality for the last couple of weeks that its time to get hot and play our best football. So were just going to continue to try to do that. Kansas City was in prime playoff position about a month ago, before a three- game losing skid that was only halted by the win against the Raiders. The Chiefs are now among a gaggle of AFC teams at 8-6 or better and will finish the season against another, San DDiego, next weekend. Sf Af1 Outlet. Every game is playoff mode, Charles said. Every game, youve got to come with it. Pittsburghs offense have been the leagues most prolific through 14 games, thanks to an eight-game stretch in which its averaged 424.9 yards and 33.1 points. The Steelers are 6-2 during that run. Were trying to stack wins, cornerback William Gay said. Playing against good opponents and just putting everything on the line. The driving force has been the trio of Roethlisberger, running back LeVeon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown. Roethlisberger has already exceeded 4,400 passing yards and hes completed a career-best 67.2 percent of his passes. His 29 touchdowns are three shy of his high watermark, set in 2007. Browns 115 catches are tops in the NFL and a franchise record for a single season. Hes two yards from surpassing the 1,499-yard franchise record he established last year, and one more TD catch will make him the fourth Pittsburgh receiver to haul in 12 in a season, joining Hines Ward (2002), Louis Lipps (1985) and Buddy Dial (1961). Bell has 76 catches of his own, far exceeding the previous team best by a running back - 51 by John L. Williams in 1994. His 2,043 yards from scrimmage are also a franchise record. Bettering the numbers wont be a cake walk against the Chiefs, whose pass defense is No. 2 in the league with an average allowance of 199.2 pass yards per week. Its a good defense. We have to look at a lot more film because they get after the passer (and are) good in the secondary, Roethlisberger said. This is going to be one of our toughest tasks of the year. WHAT TO WATCH FOR A Multi-Toned Bell Pittsburghs Week 15 foe, Atlanta, came in with an all-in strategy to stop the run, and they were successful in limiting Bell to just 47 yards on 20 rushes. Problem is, the run is not the only thing with which Bell can hurt a defense. He caught five passes for 72 yards - including a 44-yard catch and run - and will be a vital element regardless on which way the Chiefs attack. Disrupt Big Bens Timing The Steelers have seen Roethlisberger sacked 32 times in 14 games, which doesnt sound terrific, but is still on pace to be Bens lowest number for a season in which he started at least 14 games. Keeping that pace could be an issue, however, if the leagues co-leader in sacks, Justin Houston, gets clear to add to his 17. He and fellow outside linebacker Tamba Hali have 23 combined. OVERALL ANALYSIS Its probably not a preview of the AFC Championship Game. In fact, theres a far better chance that the team that loses this game wont even make the playoffs at all. What it is, though, is a meeting of two teams with significant talent on both sides of the ball. The difference, it seems, comes in the fact that the Steelers have more Plan Bs when the Plan As dont work. Thats whatll matter here. Sports Network predicted outcome: Steelers 20, Chiefs 17 ' ' '