Kerala Faces Mumps Outbreak: 11,000+ Cases Since January 2024

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Kerala state is currently grappling with an outbreak of mumps, with 190 cases being reported in a single day on March 10. This month alone, there have been 2,505 viral infection cases, and since the beginning of this year, 11,467 cases have been reported, according to data from the Kerala Health Department. 

The Union Health Ministry has confirmed the outbreak and alerted the state National Centre for Disease Control. The mumps virus primarily spreads through direct contact or airborne droplets from an infected person's upper respiratory tract.

Symptoms usually appear two to four weeks after exposure, including low-grade fever, headache, body aches, and malaise. Swelling of the salivary glands is the most distinctive symptom. Although this virus primarily affects young children, adolescents, and adults can also contract this infection.

Most cases are concentrated in the Malappuram district and other parts of northern Kerala. However, while a vaccine for mumps, measles, and rubella exists, it is not included in the government's universal immunization program. Nonetheless, children can receive the mumps-measles-rubella (MMR) vaccine at private centers, even if they have already received the measles-rubella (MR) vaccine as part of the government's immunization program.

According to an immunization expert, including an MMR vaccine in the government's program is impractical because it doesn't offer as much protection against mumps as it does against measles and rubella. Moreover, Malappuram has a history of high levels of vaccine hesitancy in the state of Kerala. 

While mumps is usually a self-limiting disease, it can lead to complications such as brain swelling, hearing loss, and painful inflammation of the testicles in adult males in rare cases. It is important that healthcare professionals and the public remain vigilant in monitoring and preventing the spread of this outbreak.