If you haven't heard, the mumps are wreaking havoc in the Midwest...and they could be heading to a town near you.

Turns out someone brought the virus to the Midwest after traveling to the UK during a one of their recent outbreak periods and, well, the mumps is now running amok.

Because I worked at the University of Iowa's student health center during college, I know more than any normal person should about immunizations. Here's the scoop:

Around 1986 or so, pre-schools and kindergartens started to relax their inoculation requirements and as a result, some kids received only a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot as an infant and didn't receive the booster shot before starting school—making some people more susceptible to the current mumps outbreak than others. The good news, however, is that aside from the sore and swollen saliva glands and jaw area, it's a fairly mild viral infection and today doesn't pose much of a serious threat.

If you think you or your child missed their second dose of the MMR, you can get the vaccine at your physician's office; many clinics in the Midwest are currently holding massive MMR clinics, which might be a cheaper and easier alternative for you. And if you're scared of needles, you're in luck—the MMR is one of the safest and most painless vaccines you can get.

With the first confirmed case of mumps reported in Colorado today, I may schedule an appointment myself. I'm a small girl and big jowls would probably be more than my head could handle.