Advertisement

Mumps cases up 900% in six years

Young people are being urged to get the MMR vaccine after it emerged mumps cases have risen by 90...
Newstalk
Newstalk

09.26 18 Mar 2017


Share this article


Mumps cases up 900% in six yea...

Mumps cases up 900% in six years

Newstalk
Newstalk

09.26 18 Mar 2017


Share this article


Young people are being urged to get the MMR vaccine after it emerged mumps cases have risen by 900% in the last six years.

The latest health surveillance figures revealed Ireland record 2,014 cases of mumps in 2015 - a jump of 900% compared to 2015 figures of 165 recorded cases.

A number of mumps outbreaks have now also hit Irish schools and colleges over recent years, including University College Cork (UCC) and Dublin City University (DCU).

Advertisement

HSE analysis of the outbreaks nationwide revealed that more than 60% of mumps outbreaks involved young men. The majority of cases are in people aged between 15 to 24 years.

Complications can arise from the illness, including meningitis, deafness and inflammation of the vital organs.

The HSE is urging young people to take advantage of available vaccinations.

"Most (of those infected) had not had the MMR (Measles Mumps and Rubella) vaccines," a spokesperson for the HSE said. However, figures show just 10% of the 2,104 cases had not gotten the vaccine.


Share this article


Read more about

News

Most Popular