What is mumps?
Mumps is a viral infection causing swelling of the parotid salivary glands in front of your ears, giving you that distinctive “chipmunk” look, often accompanied by headache, earache, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and fever. However, up to 30% of cases may be asymptomatic, reports the NICD.
Mumps is considered a mild childhood disease, affecting mainly those between the ages of five and nine, but it can also affect adults and have serious complications.
The NICD announced in a statement that since February they had received “a number of queries related to possible clusters or outbreaks of mumps in different provinces”.
Its analysis of data over 10 years showed the “annual percent-positivity” for 2023 was 69%, against the previous peak of 39% in 2019. The tests also found an increase in positive tests among those aged 4 and younger (84%), and those aged 5-9 (83%).
The NICD concluded that the “unexpected, steady increase” in positive tests, mostly in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng, “constitutes an outbreak”.
While flare-ups of mumps are normal annually, Dr Lesley Bamford, a specialist at the National Department of Health, told News24 that the current outbreak may be linked to “lowered population immunity” brought about by the public’s mask-wearing, isolation and hand-washing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The NICD has noted that to limit transmission during an outbreak in countries where vaccination is universally available, public health authorities may advise an additional dose of combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for people who belong to groups more at risk for getting mumps.
However, MMR vaccine is not part of the Expanded Programme for Immunisation in South Africa and is only available in the private sector.
What should I do?
1. Understand the risks of mumps
Mumps causes swelling of the parotid salivary glands in 60-70% of those infected, says the NICD. Complications can include inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), of the lining of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis), of the testes (orchitis, which can affect fertility) or of the ovaries (oophoritis, which is not linked to fertility), and deafness in one or both ears. It’s important to consult your health provider if you suspect mumps, so they can confirm the diagnosis and rule out other infections such as glandular fever and tonsillitis.
2. Understand how mumps is spread
This can be directly through the drops of saliva or mucous of an infected person, or indirectly through contact with surfaces they have touched. It takes 16-18 days from exposure to incubate and develop symptoms. The person is most infectious from up to seven days before, and until five days after the swelling of the parotids, and the NICD advises staying in quarantine for five days after the swelling starts.
3. Know that there is no treatment
There are only supportive measures: bed rest, fluids (nothing acidic, such as fruit juice), warm or cool compresses for swollen glands, and pain relief and fever reduction with over-the-counter medication such as ibuprofen or paracetamol. Contact your health provider at any sign of complications.
4. Consider prevention
The only preventive measure for mumps at present is vaccination. A first dose of MMR vaccine should be given to children at 12-18 months, and a second at 4-6 years. “Clicks clinics stock the mumps vaccination and are able to administer it,” says Clicks pharmacist Waheed Abdurahman. “Speak to your pharmacist about it or book an appointment.”
If you or a family member who did not have the MMR vaccine in childhood, and have never had mumps, you can get a vaccination, Abdurahman says, especially if you are at risk – for example, during an outbreak.
Adults who should NOT have the MMR vaccine, he says, include:
• Pregnant women, due to risks to the baby. Women who get the MMR vaccine should wait 4 weeks before getting pregnant.
• Adults who have had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, a previous MMR vaccine, or a medication called neomycin.
Adults should talk with their doctor if they:
• Have HIV
• Have any other immune system disorder
• Have cancer or are being given cancer drugs or treatments
• Are taking steroids or other drugs that affect the immune system
• Have had a low platelet count (a blood disorder)
• Have had a blood transfusion or took blood products
• Have a moderate or severe illness
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