Sharp increase in mumps cases prompts vaccination advice

STUDENTS HAVE been warned to get a Mumps, Measles and Rubella (MMR) jab which guards against mumps following a four-fold increase in cases this year.

The warning was issued by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) which says there is some complacency about mumps, a disease most common among those aged between 10 and 24.

There were more than 1,000 cases of mumps during a serious outbreak in 2005, prompting a spike in vaccination levels and a reduction in infection levels to 427 cases in 2006 and 142 in 2007.

However, 459 cases have been recorded this year, including seven outbreaks in third-level institutions. There were also 22 admissions to hospital. Almost 60 per cent of cases have been recorded in those under 24.

The vaccine is free although an administration fee may apply for non-medical card holders.

Mumps is a contagious acute viral illness that causes fever, headache and painful swollen glands and, though not fatal, can be debilitating. In a small number of cases it can cause meningitis, deafness and inflammation of the testicles.

An immunisation programme with the MMR vaccine began in 1988 and the double-dose vaccine which is recommended was introduced in 1992. The dose is not compulsory but is recommended, and most children get it between the ages of 12 and 15 months.

The HPSC said students over 16 and under the age of 30 are particularly vulnerable as most will not have immunity. The disease was so prevalent in the 1970s that most adults over 30 have immunity.

HPSC specialist in public health medicine Dr Joan O'Donnell said anyone unsure about their vaccination status should get another dose.