Central Ohio Mumps Cases Now Surpass Last Year's National Figure

The number of Central Ohio mumps cases has now surpassed the entire number of cases reported in the United States last year. Local health officials hope the spread of the disease will be slowed as more people get immunized. Columbus Public Health spokesman Jose Rodriguez released the department’s latest figures. “Last year we saw 438 cases in the whole nation. So the fact that we have 461 right here in Central Ohio indicates that this is a pretty large outbreak,â€? Rodriguez says When will the outbreak subside? Rodriguez put it this way: “What we can predict about it is that it will be totally unpredictable,â€? he says. Mumps cases are the highest they’ve been since 1979 when there were 926 cases in Franklin County. Rodriguez believes widespread vaccinations are the surest method of slowing the spread of the disease. “What we are banking on is that people will get immunized before they go back to school,â€? Rodriguez says.