'Several children in our neighbourhood have caught mumps. Why is this? I thought the MMR injection prevented it. Is mumps a serious disease?' Dr Pat Gilbert replies:
There has been an increase in the number of cases of mumps recently. There are two possible factors involved in this. First, older children who are not able to benefit from the MMR immunisation because it was not available at the age when this immunisation is given, are still at risk of catching the infection. Second, due to concerns over the MMR vaccine, the immunisation rates have gone down and so younger children are contracting the infection. This then, of course, can be passed on to the older group of children who have not been immunised.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here