Here’s why mumps is on the rise, and what you can do to stay healthy
Every once in a while, news of a mumps outbreak makes headlines. The highly contagious viral disease has popped up on college campuses across the U.S. and even among players on the 2014 Pittsburgh Penguins. Researchers now say they know why: The mumps vaccine becomes less effective over time. Researchers behind a new study published in Science Translational Medicine analyzed data from epidemiological studies and mathematical models and found that recent outbreaks of mumps have been largely in people between the ages of 18 and 29 — most of whom received the recommended two shots of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine as kids.
