Britain’s health agencies have issued a warning about the mumps epidemic. This epidemic spreads rapidly during cold weather. Its outbreak has been seen before also. Last year, 36 cases of this disease were reported in Britain. Whereas in 2020, 3738 cases of this epidemic were registered. Now doctors have claimed that this time the epidemic may show its wrath in winter.
The epidemic is likely to spread among teenagers and young adults. Due to this disease, women are often unable to become mothers. People are advised to get MMR vaccine. People are not getting this vaccine, due to which measles cases have increased in Britain also. In 2019, 5718 cases of mumps were reported.
Lowest cases in 15 years
According to a report by The Sun, Dr. Andre Charlet of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has claimed that at present the cases of this disease are very few. But this disease can spread suddenly during winter season. Adults who have not been vaccinated.
The danger is greater for them. Only the MMR vaccine is effective against diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella. For the first time in 15 years, England has reported its lowest number of cases of the disease. The UKHSA declared measles a national emergency in 2023 following the outbreak of the disease.
Now, like measles, mumps has also become a permanent disease. Which shows its outbreak every 2-4 years. Unvaccinated people are at risk. Young people avoid getting MMR jab vaccine. Due to which they have to face problems due to scratching. The ESCAIDE conference was recently held in Stockholm.
In which Dr. Suzanne Hahn, senior medical epidemiologist and vaccine expert from Amsterdam, told shocking things. He said the mumps virus is less contagious than measles.
serious problems in men
Figures for 2023-24 were also released by NHS. In which it was found that the graph of 5 year old children has fallen significantly in the last 5 years. A steady decline is being recorded in children taking both doses. Only 83.9 percent of children received both doses. The World Health Organization (WHO) had set a target of 95 percent children. Mumps most often affects young adults rather than children. Mumps can directly affect the testicles. Problems like infertility can occur due to swelling.
According to an estimate, this disease causes decline in sperm count in one out of 10 men. Which is the cause of infertility. This causes swelling in the testicles, which are called ovaries.