Huge rise in mumps cases

Health chiefs today sounded the alarm over a steep rise in the number of cases of mumps in the capital.

Latest figures show there have been more than 200 suspected cases reported to doctors in south-west London in the past six months, compared with just 24 for the whole of 2003.

The increased occurrence of the disease is mainly among older teenagers and adults in their early twenties, particularly those at university.

Victims are too old to have received any vaccine but they are also unlikely to have been exposed to it in childhood as those younger than them were immunised, reducing the chances of them coming into contact with carriers.

The number of confirmed cases of mumps in England and Wales has soared in the past eight years. Statistics from the Health Protection Agency show that in 1996 there were 94 cases but the provisional figure for last year is 7,625.

Dr Emma Crawley-Boevey, consultant in communicable disease control at the south-west London health protection

unit, said: "We believe the number of cases has increased more steeply in recent weeks because many of the young adults - born between 1981 and 1989 - are now at university.

"This large number of people in semi-closed institutions allows the disease to pass more easily from one person to another.

"As the susceptible group is quite large we do not expect the number of cases of mumps to reduce in the near future.

"But it is significant that the data so far available shows the majority of those affected have had only one dose of mumps-containing vaccine, while a small proportion have never had any such vaccines."

There have been five confirmed and 21 suspected cases of mumps at Kingston University in the past month. It comes after an outbreak among medical students at King's College, London in December. Roehampton University has also reported 11 confirmed and 13 suspected cases of mumps among students since October, despite three drop-in immunisation centres. A spokeswoman for the university said: "We acted very quickly on the advice from the health protection unit and encouraged students to get immunised within 24 hours.

"The drop-in centre gives students the flexibility to do this."

Symptoms of mumps include painful swelling of saliva-making glands found on either side of the face. This develops about 16 to 21 days after coming into contact with an infected person.

The vast majority of people make a full recovery from mumps infection. Dr Crawley-Boevey said: "Mumps can be very painful. We would advise anyone who thinks they may have the mumps to see their doctor straight away."