Ohio Mumps Outbreak Escalates

The Ohio State University mumps infection count has risen to 40 people total, Columbus Public Health officials reported on Friday.

This rises the count from an initial 13 mumps infections plus ten additional cases of infection reported on Tuesday.

All 40 known infection have been tied to Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio some way or another.

According to reports, 18 women and 22 men ranging from 18 to 48 years of age have been diagnosed with a contagious infection of the mumps virus. The vast majority of these infections is among students, with 32 students being identified as infected, alongside four university staff members, a relative of a student, and three individuals with ties to the Ohio State University.

Of the 17 new cases discovered following Tuesday's report, all are students.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mumps is a highly contagious viral infection that causes welling of the salivary glands and flu-like symptoms. It spreads through coughing and sneezing, meaning it easily spreads in confined and highly populated areas, such as classrooms and resident halls. While a great majority of U.S. citizens have been immunized with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, officials have previously stated that the mumps part of the vaccine is only 80 to 90 percent effective at preventing infection.

In-fact, Tuesday's previous report revealed that seven of the infected claimed they had been immunized with the MMR vaccine when they were children. With 17 additional cases, it stands to reason that the number of vaccinated-but-infected may have risen, but it has yet to be confirmed.

CBS News has revealed that the University does not have policies mandating the MMR vaccine for students and staff as university officials say this would be a breach in freedom of choice. Many families in the U.S. have chosen specifically to not vaccinate their children for various reasons, including religious practices or the belief that the MMR vaccine can cause autism in a child. To this date, there has been no conclusive scientific evidence supporting that belief.