Mumps Outbreaks Show No Sign of Slowing
Increasing outbreaks of mumps virus across the U.S. may be the result of the vaccine itself—and the lack thereof.
Late last summer, a family in northwest Arkansas was stricken with mumps, possibly brought by a relative visiting from Iowa. The virus spread quickly among public school students in Springdale, the fourth-largest city in Arkansas. Immigrants from the Marshall Islands, a prominent community in the region, were particularly hard-hit initially, most likely because they tend to live in overcrowded homes due to poverty. But the virus, which is extremely contagious, was not confined to any particular population. At the height of the outbreak, which was near the end of 2016, about 50 new cases were reported
