If you are vaccinated you are fine.
You can only control you.

Mumps is also on the rise in MD: 10 confirmed cases so far in 2026. The whole of 2025 only had 4 confirmed cases

“February 10, 2026
Dear Colleague,
The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) has noted a recent increase in mumps cases.
Specifically, there have been 14 cases reported in Maryland (10 confirmed and 4 probable) in
2026, compared to 4 cases (1 confirmed and 3 probable) in all of 2025. These recent cases
have primarily been occurring in adults in the Baltimore metropolitan area, although mumps
cases can occur in any age group and throughout the state. We would like to make you
aware of this increase so that you can take appropriate steps to identify suspected cases
in a timely manner, ensure appropriate testing and public health reporting is completed,
and continue to offer vaccination for patients as per current clinical recommendations.
MDH recommends that healthcare providers take the following steps:
●
Ensure all patients are up-to-date on MMR vaccination. Vaccination is the most
effective way to protect against mumps. Additionally, in the context of measles outbreaks
throughout the United States and abroad, MMR is also important to prevent measles as
well.
○
Adults who have never received the MMR vaccine and were born after 1957
should receive 2 doses 4 weeks apart.
●
Be aware of the clinical presentation of mumps, which usually involves fever and
systemic symptoms followed by pain, tenderness, and swelling in one or both parotid
salivary glands, and fever.
○
Note that while parotitis is a characteristic feature of mumps infection, other
commonly circulating respiratory pathogens, including influenza, can also cause
parotitis.
●
Gather additional information about the patient’s:
○
History of mumps vaccination or previous mumps infection (note that even fully
vaccinated individuals can be infected with mumps, but often have milder
symptoms)
○
Exposure to sick individuals (and diagnoses, if known) and any recent travel.
●
If you suspect mumps in a patient:
●
Use droplet and standard precautions when caring for a patient with
suspected mumps.
●
Order a rapid influenza diagnostic test or respiratory virus panel for
individuals who present with other signs and symptoms consistent with influenza.
●
Order mumps PCR testing.
○
○
●
PCR is the preferred testing method for mumps diagnosis. Mumps
PCR testing can be requested through the MDH laboratory, but must first
be approved by the local health department/MDH.
Order mumps serologic testing in addition to PCR if it has been more
than 3 days since the onset of symptoms or if any of the following is
present: orchitis/oophoritis, mastitis, pancreatitis, hearing loss, meningitis,
or encephalitis.
Report suspected mumps cases to the local health department
immediately.
Mumps Background
●
Signs/Symptoms: Mumps is an acute viral illness caused by a paramyxovirus and
usually involves pain, tenderness, and swelling in one or both parotid salivary glands
(parotitis). Swelling may be unilateral or bilateral and usually lasts 3 to 7 days. Less
frequently, the submandibular and sublingual glands may swell. Prodromal symptoms
may precede parotitis by several days, including low-grade fever, myalgia, loss of
appetite, malaise, headache, and respiratory symptoms.
Complications: orchitis, oophoritis, mastitis, meningitis, encephalitis, pancreatitis, and
hearing loss.
Mode of transmission: through direct contact with saliva or respiratory droplets from
the mouth, nose, or throat.
Incubation period: On average 16 to 18 days, with a range of 12 to 25 days.
Infectious period: Two days before through five days after the onset of parotitis.
For more information, please refer to MDH’s mumps guidance document or contact your local
health department.
As a reminder, the Maryland Vaccine Program (MVP) makes vaccines, including MMR vaccine,
available free to uninsured or underinsured adults. Eligible Marylanders can contact their local
health department to check on availability.
Thank you for your continued help in preventing vaccine-preventable diseases and promoting
vaccinations for your patients.
Sincerely,
●
●
●
●
Monique Duwell, MD, MPH
Chief, Center for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Outbreak Response”

My best friend growing up had leukemia and couldn't be fully vaccinated until she was done with the chemo (which took literally years). Back then she could still attend school and play with other kids because of vaccines. Now kids like her have to miss out on a lot or risk dying.

But you see, personal hygiene and nourishment will magically save us. And the plumbing! Don't forget the plumbing.

Trust me.

Baltimore City- very high risk
Columbia MD moderate risk

Unmitigated disaster. When will someone speak out against this madness?

Anonymous wrote:Get used to this. The golden age of health. In public health got flushed by MAHA and the uninformed.
Polio is coming. Chickenpox. Mumps.

100% This

MAGA I hope to hell your children and grand children suffer greatly dam fools all for two bit piggy boy con man.

Anonymous wrote:Does measles spread outside? Is it like COVID where being outside is safer?

How do you not know the answer to this question?

Measles is highly contagious and spreads primarily through the air via respiratory droplets when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. The virus can remain suspended in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours. It is contagious from 4 days before to 4 days after the rash appears.

Extremely dangerous and thank you MAGA idiots for killing children. COMPLETE MORONS>

Anonymous wrote:Get used to this. The golden age of health. In public health got flushed by MAHA and the uninformed.
Polio is coming. Chickenpox. Mumps.

And diphtheria, the reason why the medical establishment started doing cricothyroidotomies.

Get used to this. The golden age of health. In public health got flushed by MAHA and the uninformed.
Polio is coming. Chickenpox. Mumps.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doesn’t this area have really good vaccination rates?

ABC News recently published a map where you can search the measles risk (based on vaccination rates) for your zip code: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/new-map-shows-spot-measles-risk-level-zip/story?id=129179712.

In my DC zip code, only 70-79% of children ages 0-5 are vaccinated. East of the river, rates drop to less than 60% vaccinated in Ward 7 and 60-69% vaccinated in Ward 8. Children ride transit, attend daycares, and go to school all over, so these low rates are sufficient that we could get breakthrough infections in the vaccinated if we have a local outbreak of measles. The vaccination rates are lower than they should be, even in educated, affluent suburbs. Potomac, MD has an 80-84% vax rate. Not far away in zip code 20877, rates drop to 70-79%. In Fairfax, zip code 22041 has a rate of 60-69 percent for MMR in young children. Within 35-80 miles of DC in parts of Fauquier rates drop below 79 percent, and Rappahannock County, rates drop below 69 percent in a number of zip codes. On county-wide and state-wide measures, this region is doing better than some other parts of the country, but we have plenty of pockets with very low vaccination rates.

Yes, and this is why herd immunity can be overwhelmed if you have those concentrated, unvaccinated pockets.

When an unvaccinated family of three comes in from international travel and starts spreading the virus, if they are in an area with 99% vaccination rate, it cannot spread. Even if the spark gets passed, that person is also surrounded by people who don't light up. It just fizzles out.

But if they are in an unvaccinated pocket of a few thousand people, it spreads like wildfire. Growth is exponential, once it takes off. And if you have 1000 people wandering around on fire, it will spread even in areas with high vaccination rates, because 1) there is a vaccine failure rate, and 2) there are infants who cannot be vaccinated, and 3) there are other people who cannot be vaccinated.

Anonymous wrote:Doesn’t this area have really good vaccination rates?

ABC News recently published a map where you can search the measles risk (based on vaccination rates) for your zip code: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/new-map-shows-spot-measles-risk-level-zip/story?id=129179712.

In my DC zip code, only 70-79% of children ages 0-5 are vaccinated. East of the river, rates drop to less than 60% vaccinated in Ward 7 and 60-69% vaccinated in Ward 8. Children ride transit, attend daycares, and go to school all over, so these low rates are sufficient that we could get breakthrough infections in the vaccinated if we have a local outbreak of measles. The vaccination rates are lower than they should be, even in educated, affluent suburbs. Potomac, MD has an 80-84% vax rate. Not far away in zip code 20877, rates drop to 70-79%. In Fairfax, zip code 22041 has a rate of 60-69 percent for MMR in young children. Within 35-80 miles of DC in parts of Fauquier rates drop below 79 percent, and Rappahannock County, rates drop below 69 percent in a number of zip codes. On county-wide and state-wide measures, this region is doing better than some other parts of the country, but we have plenty of pockets with very low vaccination rates.

Anonymous wrote:Doesn’t this area have really good vaccination rates?

Probably. I work in a child care center though and each year more and more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their kids. They apply for a religious exemption and get approved by DC Health. So frustrating.

Heavens, “pro life” antivaxxers. If you don’t want your kids, just abort them. You think God doesn’t know what you’re up to?

Anonymous wrote:Does measles spread outside? Is it like COVID where being outside is safer?

It's airborne but more contagious than COVID. The air remains capable of transmitting the virus for 2-4 hours after the infected person has left the area. Good ventilation helps, but again, it's more contagious than COVID.

Vaccinated individuals are not at high risk. The problem is the vaccine failure rate (which means when cases get into the thousands, you start to see those cases break through), those who cannot get vaccinated, and whatever immune amnesia COVID has been fiddling with.

Does measles spread outside? Is it like COVID where being outside is safer?