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.
ends