Mumps Spread Beyond Iowa

From MedPage:

The mumps outbreak that started in Iowa has spread to Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, an epidemiologist with the Iowa Department of Public Health said today.

Meghan Harris, M.P.H., said all states bordering Iowa -- with the exception of Missouri -- have reported cases of mumps. Moreover, said Harris, the end is no where in site.

"You can expect the numbers that we report tomorrow to be up [from cases reported March 30] and the numbers that will be reported Thursday are likely to be higher again," she said in an interview.

The Iowa Department of Public Health said will update mumps information tomorrow and again on Thursday.

The 245 confirmed, probable, or suspected cases of mumps reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health already represent the nation's largest mumps outbreak in 17 years.