Editorial pages weigh in on mumps epidemic

The New York Times offers its take on the mumps epidemic in the Midwest, stressing the continued importance of vaccination efforts and suggesting a closer look should be taken as to whether the vaccine's effectiveness may wane over time. As to the latter, there's no evidence at this point to suggest a booster dose might be necessary, but there is presumably little harm in exploring that possibility. From the editorial...

"Even so, federal and state health officials will need to look hard for any signs that the mumps vaccine is less effective than we previously thought or that its effectiveness diminishes over time. Health officials are wisely urging students and others who are at high risk of exposure and are not fully immunized to get their shots. The current outbreaks would no doubt be much larger — hitting thousands or tens of thousands of people — without the high levels of vaccination already prevalent."

Meanwhile, The Courier News (a suburban Chicago newspaper), published this editorial credited to the St. Louis Post Dispatch (though it appears nowhere on their site). Titled "Halt diseases before they reach the U.S.," the piece relies on a tenuous connection between mumps, avian flu, and 9/11, yet still makes interesting observations about the design of public health efforts and the potential adverse effects of vaccination exemption laws. They write,

"Doctors at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe the first mumps case was carried to this country by someone traveling from overseas late last year. Two infected airline travelers are believed to have spread it through the Midwest on a total of nine flights.

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It's likely that at least some of the 75 people who have contracted mumps in Missouri and Illinois this year would not be infected if they had received the so-called MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. But in recent years, lawmakers in Missouri and several other Midwestern states have expanded options for parents who object to vaccination on religious or philosophical grounds. That policy carries significant public health risks. Many parents probably don't understand the great stakes.

Since the 9/11 attacks, national spending on public health has soared. But much of that has been for work aimed at combating bioterrorism. The greater threat, unfortunately, seems to be from diseases that are far more mundane and easily overlooked."