It seems that everyday there is a new college with an outbreak of the mumps. Lately, the mumps is something that almost everyone is knowledgeable about. In the most simple definition, the mumps is a a viral infection that effects the salivary glands. The mumps vaccination has made this infection mainly dormant since 1967. 

The CDC requires that certain vaccinations, including the mumps, are given to each person. When people decide to go against the required vaccinations, these dormant diseases have a higher chance of coming back. The current mumps outbreak is just one example of this. Since diseases like the mumps are preventable, this just shows how important vaccinations are for your health. According to vaccinations.gov “Vaccines produce immunity about 90 - 100% of the time.” If you want to stay healthy, then it makes sense to get vaccinated because of vaccination effectiveness.

One good thing that has come from this outbreak is the increase of attention on vaccinations. The mumps outbreak has been a real life example of how important it is for every person to be vaccinated. 

 Photo Credit: Leon Farrant