Chennai, March 8
The Tamil Nadu Health Department has issued a high alert as mumps cases continue to rise among children in Coimbatore.
Authorities have intensified surveillance and preventive measures after 21 kindergarten (KG) students from a matriculation school in Peelamedu tested positive for the viral infection in the past two days.
Following the outbreak, the school administration declared a holiday until March 12 to curb further transmission.
Health officials from the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation reported that 13 KG students had initially shown symptoms two days ago.
The school management promptly sent them home to prevent the disease from spreading. Health department officials have assured the public that there is no cause for panic.
However, individuals experiencing symptoms of measles, mumps, or chickenpox are advised to seek medical attention at the nearest government hospital immediately.
Mumps is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects children but can also infect adolescents and adults.
It commonly causes swelling of the parotid salivary glands on one or both sides of the face, leading to pain and discomfort. Other symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, difficulty chewing, and fatigue.
The virus spreads through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing and remains contagious from just before gland swelling begins to up to five days afterwards. Infected individuals should limit contact with others, rest adequately, and stay hydrated until they recover.
While mumps is generally considered a mild, self-limiting illness, it can lead to complications, particularly in unvaccinated children.
A study conducted by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health (DPH) using data from the Integrated Health Information Portal (IHIP) under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) has highlighted a concerning rise in mumps cases across the state.
According to the study, the incidence rate of mumps per lakh population increased from 0.07 in 2021-22 to 1.30 in 2023-24.
Many cases are believed to be underreported since mumps is not a notifiable disease, and some hospitals do not document cases. Between April 2021 and March 2024, Tamil Nadu recorded 1,281 presumptive cases of mumps, with 56.05 per cent of them occurring in women.
The study found that 70 per cent of cases were among children under nine years old, while 10 per cent were reported in the 10-19 age group. There has been a steady increase in reported cases over the years. In 2021, of around 2,261 cases, Coimbatore accounted for 15 per cent and Dharmapuri 11 per cent.
Meanwhile, in 2022-23, at least 129 cases were reported with Thiruvarur district accounting for 51 per cent, Nagapattinam 11 per cent and Chennai 4 per cent. During 2023-24, the state logged 1,091 cases.
Health experts said that these trends suggest that environmental changes, population dynamics, and variations in vaccination coverage may be contributing factors to an increase in the spread of mumps.
While mumps-related complications are rare, especially in children, doctors emphasise that the risk of severe outcomes can be significantly reduced through vaccination.
India introduced the measles vaccine under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) in 1985 and later introduced the combined Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine in 2017 to eliminate both diseases by 2020.
The DPH study recommends making mumps a notifiable disease in Tamil Nadu to enhance monitoring and control efforts. It also suggests incorporating the mumps vaccine into the UIP schedule as per the Union Government's guidelines to prevent further outbreaks.
