Mumps becomes epidemic

Disease can’t be contained to Auckland and vaccination campaign urged

Auckland’s mumps outbreak has become an epidemic and a vaccination campaign is needed to stop it spreading across New Zealand, health experts say.

More than 1000 people have caught mumps in Auckland this year, the number almost doubling since the start of October.

The outbreak was now an epidemic because it could not be contained, public health officials said in a letter to the Ministry of Health.

The joint letter was signed by the chief executives of Auckland, Counties Manukau and Waitemata district health boards, and two senior Auckland Regional Public Health service officials, RNZ reports.

With current measures to contain the disease having little impact, a more high profile vaccination campaign was needed, the officials said.

About 80 per cent of current cases were in people not immunised, including among a so-called “lost generation” of 10- to 29-year-olds with particularly low rates of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination.

Mumps can cause painful swelling of the glands around the face and jaw, fever and headaches.

Dr Josephine Herman of the Auckland Regional Public Health Service said earlier this year that it was the worst outbreak since 1994.

“This is quite a large outbreak, and something we're very concerned about, and trying our best to implement public health measures to try to contain.”

She said Auckland was essentially free of the viral disease even late last year, but it had been picked up overseas, particularly from the Pacific Islands — mostly Fiji and later Tonga — where the mumps vaccine was not available.

In New Zealand, the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination is free from doctors. If you’ve caught mumps, it usually takes 12–25 days before you get sick. You’ll be infectious from one week before swelling appears until five days afterwards. Symptoms include pain in the jaw, fever, headache, swelling of the glands around the face. If you are concerned about mumps, please call Healthline for advice on 0800 611 116.

Source: Ministry of Health