Thirty seven confirmed cases of mumps loom over Syracuse University’s campus and with 74 probable cases, the total is over 100 students with mumps, proving the illness is back with vengeance.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mumps outbreaks are increasing despite the vaccination law which requires children in public and private schools, in daycare settings, college students and healthcare workers to be vaccinated.
The CDC also reports that under the State School and Childcare Vaccination laws, all 50 states require children to be vaccinated against certain communicable diseases as a condition for school attendance. These requirements cover children attending both private and public schools, including child care attendance.
Despite all of these regulations, there is a flurry of illnesses once believed to be extinct, making headlines as they pop up on college campuses and in schools and small towns nationwide.
One of the main reasons for the spike in these illnesses is misinformation from the media, said Voices for Vaccine leader, Karen Ernst. Another reason for the less than rigid vaccination protocol which Dr. Alice Callahan believes is a generational issue contributing to the non-vaccination trend.
“We’ve now enjoyed the benefits of vaccines for a few generations, and most of us have never seen a friend or family member sick with measles, mumps or rubella, for example,” Callahan said. “My parents, on the other hand, remembered those diseases from their childhood. We also tend to overestimate the risks of the vaccines themselves, mainly because of stories spread through social media of children who had adverse reactions to vaccines.”
According to the CDC, the mumps vaccine falls under the MMR vaccine, which protects against mumps, measles and rubella. The vaccination is recommended in three doses and the first should be administered between 12-to-15 months of age, dose two between the ages of four and six, and the final dose and booster during teenage and adult years.
“In most states exemptions are given too easily for parents who oppose vaccination,” said Dr. Arthur Caplan, a professor of Bioethics at New York University. “Personal choice and religious exemptions often require nothing more than signing a piece of paper. There is no questioning, or challenge or even an attempt to talk a parent out of not vaccinating.”
The Syracuse University lacrosse team had to cancel their fall season after a majority of both the men’s and women’s teams fell ill to the virus, according to recent reports by Syracuse.com.
Since the introduction of vaccinations, there is a 99 percent decline in mumps cases nationwide. However, the CDC reports have shown huge spikes in reported mumps vaccines jumping from 229 cases in 2012 to 5,833 cases in 2016, a 96 percent increase.
One option states have to lower the mumps outbreaks is tightening the regulations and policies for required vaccinations. As of 2015, the state of California has passed a law banning personal and religious belief exemptions for vaccinations. As of Oct. 7, 2017, California has reported between 50 and 99 cases of mumps to the CDC as opposed to states with looser regulations such as Texas and New York which have reported over 300 cases.
“California has shown us that it can be done and that it works to ensure more kids are protected, which in turn protects the population from preventable outbreaks,” Callahan said. “I think it’s a reasonable step to take if we’re seeing more outbreaks and other children are being put at risk, especially our most vulnerable kids with compromised immune systems.”
Photo: Rachel Futterman | The Oswegonian
