Dramatic Rise In Cases Of Mumps
THERE was a dramatic increase in the number of young people in Cambridgeshire diagnosed with mumps last year, figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) have revealed.
THERE was a dramatic increase in the number of young people in Cambridgeshire diagnosed with mumps last year, figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) have revealed.
During 2009 there were 101 confirmed cases of the viral infection, characterised by painful swelling around the neck, while there were only 12 cases recorded in the county during 2008.
The rise is being put down to a low uptake of the combined MMR (measals, mumps and rubella) vaccine among those born before 1990, when large scale vaccination began in the UK.
Across the East of England there were 565 cases of mumps during 2009 compared with only 136 the previous year.
Figures released for 2010 to June show that there have been 34 cases in Cambridgeshire, with the number expected to rise as students head back to schools, colleges and universities in the county.
The symptoms of mumps begin with a headache and fever for a day or two before swelling of the parotid glands which may be on one or both sides, appears. Complications of symptomatic mumps include swelling of the ovaries, swelling of the testes, aseptic meningitis and deafness.
Most Read
- 1 Family pay tribute to brothers, 13 and 17, killed in horror BMW crash
- 2 Table made from 5,000-year-old oak tree to be unveiled at Ely Cathedral in honour of The Queen
- 3 Girl, 7, left heartbroken after beloved rabbits are stolen
- 4 Food delivery robots taking to streets of Cambridgeshire
- 5 Recap: Severe disruption on Great Northern and Thameslink trains to London
- 6 Hand clinic offering additional type of treatment for arthritis sufferers
- 7 Princess Anne visits Wisbech's new Citizens Advice Bureau on Cambs trip
- 8 Princess Anne waves from Range Rover after landing in Wisbech
- 9 Boys, 13 and 17 killed in horror BMW crash near A47 in Peterborough
- 10 Table made from 5,000-year-old oak tree arrives at Ely Cathedral
Factfile
In at least 30 per cent of cases in children there are no symptoms.
The incubation period for mumps is 14-21 days and it is transmissible from several days before the swelling appears to several days after it appears
Contagiousness is similar to that of influenza and rubella but not as infectious as chickenpox or measles