Kerala is experiencing a mumps outbreak; on March 10 (Sunday), the state reported 190 cases in one day. Kerala health department data shows that there have been 2,505 cases of the viral infection this month and 11,467 cases in the little over two months of this year.
The mumps virus, which is a member of the paramyxovirus family of viruses, is the infectious agent that causes mumps. Mild symptoms including fatigue, fever, and headaches are the first signs of the illness. However, it usually results in parotitis, which is a severe swelling of some salivary glands that causes large, puffy cheeks and a sore jaw. In the past, mumps was a relatively common childhood illness.
The frequency of cases dropped sharply once the mumps vaccine was made accessible in 1967. But mumps outbreaks still happen, particularly in groups where people are in close proximity for an extended period of time, such on college campuses. Children who have not had the mumps vaccine and are between the ages of 2 and 12 are most typically affected by the disease. Adults and teenagers can still contract the mumps even after receiving a vaccination against it. This happens as a result of the vaccine’s diminishing immunity after a few years. Nonetheless, getting vaccinated against mumps is the best defense against infection.
The National Center for Disease Control in the state has been notified of the outbreak, according to Union Health Ministry officials who have confirmed it. Officials said that the majority of the cases are coming from the Malappuram district and other areas in north Kerala. Although there is a vaccine to prevent mumps in addition to measles and rubella, it is not included in the government’s program for universal immunization.
Authorities said that private clinics offer the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to youngsters for all three illnesses. Speaking anonymously, an immunization specialist clarified that while the MMR vaccine provides less effective protection against the mumps than it does against the measles and rubella, it may not be feasible to incorporate it into the government program.
