A large mumps outbreak in the United States in 2006 may have been caused by the failure of the vaccine, federal health experts reported Wednesday.

In a study reported in the April 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, authors urge a more effective mumps vaccine or changes in vaccine policy to eradicate the disease

An additional dose of vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria and pertusis (Tdap) will be required for North Carolina students. The Commission for Public Health authorized the new rules and also designates that all children before enrolling in school, college or university should get a second dose of vaccine for mumps. Immunization rules also encourage additional vaccine coverage for mumps and pertussis or whooping cough.

Most children are vaccinated against whooping cough before going to kindergarten but the immunity declines after 10 years. Outbreaks of mumps still happen in United States and other parts of the world and it was reported that 2006 Iowa and other Midwestern states outbreak begins on a college campus

The military has immunized more children than private health providers.

Based on data on military care and treatment by private industry providers presented by the Department of Defense at the Military Health System conference on Monday, Air Force health personnel immunized 86 percent of eligible recipients, compared to 84 percent immunized by the highest-rated state and 77 percent nationally

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) of Britain is warning parents over the rising number of measles cases in children this year.

The agency is also urging parents to make sure their children have both shots measles, mumps and rubella or MMR before they return to school

Thousands of families are claiming that routine and sometimes mandatory vaccines have caused their children to become autistic. One family went before a federal court Monday to plead their case.

If the court side with the family, they could receive compensation from the government fund set up for people hurt by the shots to protect the program