Be mindful of mumps

Media release

Thursday 23 November 2017

Be mindful of mumps

While tests showed two suspected cases of mumps reported in the past few weeks on the West Coast were not actually mumps, Medical Officer of Health Dr Cheryl Brunton advises caution.

The Ministry of Health has reported an increasing number of cases of mumps in Auckland and other parts of the country this year.

“These outbreaks occur particularly in young adults and teenagers and they seem to be happening because people are either unimmunised or have waning immunity, and in places like schools and universities where the disease can spread readily,” Dr Brunton says.

“The best protection available against mumps is vaccination. Anyone born after 1981 is entitled to two free doses of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine. The first dose of MMR vaccine is usually given at 15 months of age and the second at four years-old.

“If anyone has missed out, they should contact their general practice to arrange for a vaccination, to protect themselves and reduce the likelihood of an outbreak on the Coast,” Dr Brunton says.

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