There were 3,832 provisional mumps cases throughout the U.S. in 2016, almost tripling the diagnosis count of 2015. | File photo
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Keri Carbaugh | Feb 5, 2017

Preventable infectious disease outbreaks on the rise

An interactive map tracking global outbreaks of infectious diseases, created by the Council on Foreign Relations in 2008, recently tracked a significant increase in vaccine-preventable outbreaks.

The Council on Foreign Relations blames the rise in misinformation about vaccines as a direct reason for the rise in outbreaks.

Vaccines go through years of development before being approved for use on the recommended immunization schedule. After release, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitor how the vaccines are working throughout the country.

One such vaccine-preventable outbreak on the rise is mumps, which is highly contagious. The CDC found there were 3,832 provisional mumps cases throughout the U.S. in 2016, almost tripling the diagnosis count of 2015, including outbreaks in four universities.

Mumps can also develop because of a faded immunity to the disease because the vaccine wears down after a decade or so. This is why the recommended vaccination schedule says people should receive another mumps vaccine in their late teens, right around the beginning of college.

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