Harvard Mumps Outbreak: All of the Infected Were Vaccinated

One of the most popular myths among supporters for mass vaccinations, is the idea of herd immunity. If only everyone was thoroughly vaccinated, then collectively we’d all be safer. Any disease outbreak would be quickly stifled, since there would be so few people who it could spread to. Of course, vaccines only give herd immunity when they actually work, which isn’t always the case.

It’s certainly not the case at the prestigious Harvard University, where over the past two months 40 students have contracted mumps. The school is scrambling to isolate the outbreak and has promoted prevention strategies among the student body as final exams approach.

“It’s hard to predict how it will go and how much exposure there is,” claimed university spokeswoman Lindsey Baker “It’s more just those events are coming up, so we just want people to take precautions.” Roughly a dozen students are still in quarantine, dealing a with a disease that is far more harmful when contracted in adulthood. But the real kicker is that all of the students who had been infected a month ago were immunized. 99% of the school’s undergraduates have met the state’s immunization standards.

Some herd immunity, am I right?