Jackson Jambalaya

Cases of mumps infections tripled in 2016.  The Wall Street Journal reported today:


With a month still to go, 2016 is already the worst year for mumps outbreaks in a decade. Despite widespread vaccination requirements, college campuses are bearing the brunt of the attack as students live in close quarters and don’t always maintain the healthiest lifestyles.

As of Nov. 26, the latest date available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recorded 3,832 provisional mumps cases across 45 states and Washington, D.C. That’s nearly triple the 2015 total of 1,329 and the highest tally since 2006.

The University of Missouri called off a popular late-night breakfast at the start of finals and asked students to cancel nonmandatory social gatherings and speaker events to stem the spread of the highly contagious respiratory disease.

So far, 128 confirmed or probable cases have been identified there since earlier this fall, according to the school, mainly among people with ties to fraternities and sororities.

University health officials said all the infected students had received at least two doses of the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine by the time they fell ill, as per the school’s immunization requirement. A school spokesman said 50 of the university’s 32,366 students had been granted waivers from the immunization policy.

A two-dose mumps vaccine is 88% effective against the virus, while a one-dose vaccine is 78% effective, according to the CDC.

While measles and rubella vaccines last for a long time, the immunity people get from a mumps vaccination can start to fade after about a decade, according to Paul Offit, a professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

He said that while most measles outbreaks these days are the result of large populations not getting vaccinated, mumps cases are more often due to faded immunity among those who were vaccinated years ago.

Dr. Offit said that an immunization advisory group may consider at its February meeting recommending a third dose of the mumps vaccine for a broader swath of the population.

Some people already receive a third dose if they are confronted with an outbreak and haven’t had a booster in years.

That “can make a contribution” in stemming the spread of mumps, said William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center but it “won’t eliminate” outbreaks entirely.

Though mumps infections have dropped dramatically since the vaccination program began in 1967, they remain a scourge at universities because of students’ crowded living conditions and frequent social gatherings at which the disease can spread.

Dr. Schaffner said the efficacy of the vaccine wanes after 10 to 15 years. Traditional vaccine schedules give children their second dose between the ages of four and six, meaning they’re in college right as the effects of the vaccine begin to wear off.

Last week, Yale University health officials notified community members of two suspected cases of mumps, while Tufts University has nine confirmed cases this fall.

At SUNY New Paltz, a state school in New York, the swim team’s season came to a premature end last month after several swimmers were diagnosed with mumps. In total, Student Health Services has confirmed 33 cases on campus.

An additional 20 students who weren’t vaccinated were sent home for the remainder of the semester. (The school doesn’t require immunization records from students who are enrolled for less than six credits.)

Mumps is spread through direct or indirect contact with an infected person’s nose or throat droplets, such as when an infected person sneezes or coughs, or through sharing cups or kissing. Symptoms include puffy cheeks and a swollen jaw, because of inflamed salivary glands, as well as fever, headache, fatigue and loss of appetite. Most people recover in a few weeks, but serious complications can include deafness, or inflammation of the testicles, brain or ovaries.