Health officials: 9 vaccinated patients sickened with mumps

SEATTLE — Officials say nine patients in the Seattle area are believed to have mumps even though they were vaccinated against the disease.

KIRO-TV reports that King County health officials say that of the nine cases, eight were children and one was a 23-year-old. Five of those infected are from the same family.

All the children have recovered and no one has been hospitalized. Officials say the kids were all up to date on the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which works about 88 percent of the time.

Dr. Jeff Duchin of the health department says the vaccine isn’t perfect but is worth getting. He says mumps used to be a major cause of meningitis and inflammation of the brain, testes or ovaries.

The county health department is investigating an additional five possible mumps cases.