@jessicawapner
LATE LAST summer, a family in northwest Arkansas was stricken with mumps, possibly brought by a relative visiting from Iowa. The virus spread quickly among public school students in Spring-dale, the fourth-largest city in Arkansas. Initially, immigrants from the Marshall Islands, a prominent community in the region, were particularly hard-hit, most likely because they tend to live in overcrowded homes due to poverty. But the virus, which is extremely contagious, was not confined to any particular population. At the height of the outbreak, which was near the end of 2016, about 50 new cases were reported to the Arkansas Department of Health every day.
DIAPER DAMPER: The CDC recommends two doses of the mumps vaccine, one at age 12 to 15 months and another at 4 to 6 years old.
DAMIAN DOVARGANES/AP