The United States of America has kept a goal of completely eradicating the mumps virus from USA by 2010 but sudden rise in the number of mumps cases since 2006 has raised doubts whether the target could ever be met. There have been 6,584 cases of mumps since 2006 with 85 hospitalizations. To make matters worse for the Federal health officials, 84 percent of the patients between the ages of 18 and 24 have received the second recommended dose of the mumps vaccine produced by Merck. According to a study by researchers of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, complete eradication of the viral infection would require development of more effective mumps vaccine or changes in the vaccination policy.
However, despite the efforts to curb the viral disease complete eradication of mumps is not possible because 43 percent nations do not vaccinate against mumps, retaining the wild virus in the environment. The reasons for the rise in mumps cases in US are manifold. Many parents heeding to the false propaganda of certain advocacy groups do not give MMR vaccine to children as they fear that the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is not safe for children. Declining immunity, high population density and contact rates in colleges and incomplete vaccine-induced immunity to wild virus are other factors responsible for the rising incidence of mumps in US.
Mumps is a viral disease that causes painful swelling of the salivary glands that could even be accompanied by testicular swelling and rash. While the symptoms are generally not severe in children but it can be more severe in teenagers and adults that might lead to infertility or subfertility. Mumps in adults carries a 25 percent risk that the testes may become infected leading to sterility. Mild forms of meningitis, encephalitis and hearing loss, although rare, might occur.
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Source: reuters