Anti-vaccine myths push mumps cases up to ten-year high

CASES of mumps have hit their highest level in a decade amid fears the public are not getting immunised due to ‘dangerous’ anti-vaccine myths.

Some 2,028 cases of mumps were confirmed between April and June this year, Public Health England (PHE) said. This is the highest quarterly figure since 2009.

Nearly half of the mumps cases in this quarter were in people who were not vaccinated, and were mostly driven by outbreaks among students.

As mumps spiked, measles also continued to rise, with 301 cases over the same period. Nearly 90 per cent (266) were in unvaccinated people aged 1 and over.

This year, the Royal Society for Public Health said social media had become a ‘breeding ground for misleading information’ shared by so-called anti-vaxxers. Some theories even link jabs with autism.

Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said last night: ‘Parents have enough to worry about without misleading anti-vaxxers sowing seeds of doubt about vaccines, which remain the best chance we have of protecting our children from potentially deadly illnesses.

‘These stark rises in mumps and measles cases show that complacency about vaccines is misplaced and dangerous, which is why the NHS is taking action to boost take-up rates and tackle the fake news peddled on social media and elsewhere.’

The mumps component of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is effective at protecting young children but immunity can reduce over time.

Therefore, older teenagers and adults

who received two doses of MMR in childhood can still get mumps, although generally in a much milder form than in those who are unvaccinated.

Dr Mary Ramsay, of PHE, said: ‘Although it is normal to see mumps outbreaks in universities every few years, we are seeing a significant number of cases. Coupled with the continued measles outbreaks, these figures clearly demonstrate the need for sustained high vaccination rates.’

The mumps cases in the second quarter of this year were reported across England, while measles were confirmed in all regions except the North East.

Last week, Boris Johnson urged parents to ignore internet ‘mumbo-jumbo’ and get their children vaccinated.

He said: ‘I’m afraid people have been listening to superstitious mumbo-jumbo on the internet and thinking that the MMR vaccine is a bad idea. That’s wrong, please get your kids vaccinated.’