Texas has not seen this many cases of the mumps in two decades, and while it's not caused by the anti-vaccine movement, the state's leading expert on infectious diseases says the fringe movement is making the outbreak worse, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"It certainly could. We know that part of this outbreak occurred on South Padre Island and could be assocated with spring break," Dr. Peter Hotez tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
The Texas Department of State Health Services is investigating multiple outbreaks of mumps, all across the state.
"Mumps cases potentially linked to South Padre Island first came to light this week when another state health department contacted DSHS about a patient with mumps who had traveled to the area for spring break. DSHS alerted other states and, as of April 11, has been notified of 13 mumps cases in people who traveled to South Padre Island between March 8 and March 22 from six states, including two cases from Texas," they say in a press release.
The vaccine for the mumps only has a success rate of about 75-percent, but Dr. Hotez says the greater importance is creating herd immunity against the disease.
"The more people vaccinated, the less likely it is that someone will come across a patient."
"There is a big uptick in mumps cases, not only in Texas, but nationally. Although, most of it is centered in the south central part of the country," he says.
'Anti-vaxxers' are people who believe in a now thoroughly discredited theory that common childhood vaccinations lead to autism and other conditions. Many of the claims revolve around a preservative used by the vaccine companies, which was discontinued in the last decade.
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