Mumps conspiracy?

I'm surprised that no one at this site has done anything about mumps. I have a discussion of some of the issues at my blog The Tao of Politics. It seems odd to me that this mumps epidemic has erupted in the American Midwest, with 605 cases to date, especially since there is such a big push to vaccinate everyone. Does anyone else have any information or ideas?

Yes, i read all about it. Its a little odd this should be happening now.

Who knows what's behind this one. At least it can be treated and most are vaccinated.

There are outbreaks of mumps in the Western world almost every year. And every year, people say "Oh my god, what's going on?" because they forgot last years outbreak. I mean, look at England/Wales:
news.bbc.co.uk...

This article gives a perfectly sound explanation. There are still plenty of children in rural or underserved areas that go unvaccinated, and judging by previous threads on this board there are also children who are abused by their parents by not allowing them to get the vaccine. These children are thus able to develop mumps and spread it to other non-immune children.

I don't really see where this turns into a conspiracy...maybe reason, logic, research, and sound science are getting in my way...

~MFP

We actually discussed this in my Geography class here at college yesterday, and my teacher said that the common theory that a British traveller came to the midwest and spread it.

I remember hearing about how there were 50 or so cases at the University of Kansas here in the last week or so, and they were being quarentined.

My college has also issued a statement on it, saying that any student that somehow didn't get the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine to get it soon. This is being said even though we are out of here in two weeks. Oh well. I already have all my shots, even a couple I probably don't need.

I don't know the exact distribution of the cases, but here are a couple articles I've found on this:

Mumps outbreak in England and Wales worst in a decade

Mumps outbreak worsens: KU students make up 16 of 21 confirmed cases

Mumps Outbreak Swells Across Midwest

I'll try to find a map or graphic or something that may show the distribution of these cases, maybe we can find something out.

Cool. Thanks for the responses.

Okay, I've seen this in a Wikipedia article on the MMR vaccine, but I can't verify it as of yet.

According to the article, there is only one producer of the MMR vaccine, Merck KGaA for both the United States and the United Kingdom.

I kinda find this funny. Tamiflu being bought on massive amounts from a single company funny. Something smells fishy, and it isn't the fish.

No, Merck isn't the only manufacturer. Chiron also produces vaccines, including MMR, for much of Europe. Asia, and the US.

~MFP

Originally posted by bsl4doc
No, Merck isn't the only manufacturer. Chiron also produces vaccines, including MMR, for much of Europe. Asia, and the US.

~MFP

Hmm, so there couldn't be much of a financial reason behind all this then, could there?

Has anyone read the CDC Mumps Health Advisory?

The majority of cases are occurring among persons 18-25 years of age, many of whom are vaccinated.

The source of the current US outbreak is unknown. However the mumps strain has been identified as genotype G, the same genotype circulating in the United Kingdom (UK). The outbreak in the UK has been ongoing from 2004 to 2006 and has involved > 70,000 cases. Most UK cases have occurred among unvaccinated young adults (3). The G genotype is not an unusual or rare genotype and, like the rest of known genotypes of mumps, it has been circulating globally for decades or longer.

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